CH^1N£5E 

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SA ACT.  HEADLAND 


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CHINESE    HEROES 

6AN<JcLh, 
6.  M. 

BEING    A    RECORD     OF  ^ 

PERSECUTIONS  ENDURED        '^'^^f^h 
BY    NATIVE    CHRISTIANS 


IN    THE    BOXER   UPRISING 


BY 

ISAAC  TAYLOR  HEADLAND 

Author  of"  Chinese  Mother  Goose  Rhymes,"  ''  The  Chinese  Boy  and  Girl,"  etc. 


WITH   ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS 


»      U       O       '  «         J 


NEW  YORK  :    EATON  &  MAINS 
CINCINNATI  :  JENNINGS  &  PYE 


J3^77SL 


CARPENTfER 

Copyright  by 

EATON  &  MAINS, 

1902. 


•;  •":  -•. 


•    • 


••••••     ••.« 


PREFACE 


MUCH  has  been  written  of  the  sufferings  of 
foreigners  in  the  recent  Boxer  uprising 
and  correspondingly  Httle  of  the  conduct  of  the 
Chinese  Christians.  At  a  recent  meeting  of  the 
North  China  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  it  was  decided  to  inquire  minutely 
into  the  persecutions  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
natives,  in  the  belief  that  a  more  adequate  un- 
derstanding of  their  heroism  would  be  a  stimu- 
lant to  the  faith  of  the  Church. 

A  committee  was  therefore  appointed,  and 
the  native  pastors  were  requested  to  gather  up 
and  forward  reports  of  such  cases  as  might  be 
considered  representative  of  the  persecutions  as 
a  whole.  To  these  reports  were  added  such  in- 
cidents in  the  lives  of  certain  of  the  members 
as  would  contribute  to  a  proper  estimate  of 
their  character,  and  thus  enable  the  reader  to 
see  the  persecutions  in  their  proper  settings. 
Some  of  these  accounts  were  put  in  story  form, 
others  were  strung  together  in  the  order  in 
which  they  happened,  and  nearly  all  are  given 
in  the  words  of  those  who  suffered. 

We  need  not  add  that  all  were  not  equally 
faithful ;  but  as  the  world  is  not   interested  in 

FiSGlGl 


6  PREFACE 

human  failure,  but  only  in  success,  we  felt  safe 
in  recording  only  the  experiences  of  those  who 
were  true  to  the  faith  they  professed,  and  assur- 
ing the  reader  that  but  a  small  proportion  of  the 
persecuted  played  the  part  of  the  coward — 
most  of  these  under  circumstances  which  would 
have  tested  the  courage  of  either  the  reader  or 
the  writer.  I.  T.  H. 

Peking,  July,  1902. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Ch'en  Ta-yung— Gate  Keeper,  Preacher,  Martyr 9 

Wang  Ch'eng-p'ei — The  Wheelbarrow  Man  and  Martyr 30 

Child-Prisoners 52 

A  Chinese  Pastor's  Narrative 74 

The  Story  of  Sinah,  Wife  of  Pastor  Ch'en 98 

Dr.  Wang 105 

The  Adventures  of  Mrs.  Ch'in 114 

The  Story  of  the  Students  of  Peking  University 121 

Experience  of  the  Students  of  the  Peking  Girls'  High  School  138 
The  Flight  of  Teachers  Liu  Fang  and  Wang  T'ien-hsiang. .    152 

Martyrs 161 

Cheng  Tien-fang:  The  Messenger's  Story 186 

The  Adventures  of  Yao  Chen-yuan 195 

The  Story  of  the  Persecutions  at  Tsun-hua 206 

Mrs.  Li  and  her  Child 217 

The  Epworth  League 218 

The  Ch'en  Brothers 240 

Pastors  and  Teachers 243 


UST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

Mission  Compound  and  Campus,  Peking  (1902) Frontispiece 

Ch'en  Ta-yung 10 

Mr.  Ch'en's  Grandchildren 21 

Ch'en  Wei-fan 24 

Wang  Ch'eng-p'ei 31 

Yang  Ssu,  the  Carter 39 

Professor  Chung 54 

Chung  K'ao-en 58 

Chung  Kan-en 69 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Te  and  their  Daughter 75 

Tseng  Kuo-chih 80 

Mrs.  Chou  and  Family 90 

Chang  Pai-lin 97 

Ch'en  Heng-te 98 

Dr.  Wang  Hsiang-ho 106 

Dr.  Wang  with  a  Group  of  his  Patients  and  Coolies 109 

Mrs.  Ch'in  and  Helper 115 

Wang  Mao-yin 121 

Students  of  Peking  University  after  the  Siege 123 

Durbin  Hall,  Peking  University 135 

Students  of  Peking  Girls'  School 139 

Asbury  Church,  Peking 145 

Liu  Fang  and  Family 153 

Wang  T'ien-hsiang 159 

Tou  Lien-ming 169 

Cheng  Tien-fang 187 

Yao  Chen-yuan 196 

Liu  Chi-lun 207 

Mrs.  Li  and  her  Child 216 

Ch'in  Lung-chang 219 

Wang  Chih-p'ing 225 

Liu  Kuang-ch'ing 227 

Liu  Fang. 227 

Ch'en  Wei-p'ing 240 

Ch'en  Wei-ch'eng 241 

Liu  Ma-k'e 243 

Liu  Ming-ch'uan 244 


CHINESE  HEROES 


CH'EN  TA-YUNG— GATE  KEEPER,  PREACHER, 

MARTYR       _ .  ^ 

V   »  jj  »  t  t   "     »  ^  *;  J 

I      ..,,,.,..  ....^ 

"Six  Packages  of  Incense-^tv)^o  Pieces  of 
Soap^ — one  Block  of  Soda,"  said  little  Chen, 
reading  off  the  sales  of  a  recent  purchase  to 
the  head  bookkeeper  of  the  store  in  which  he 
was  employed. 

"  Anything  else  ?  "  inquired  the  bookkeeper. 

"  Nothing,"  answered  Ch'en,  his  attention  fixed 
upon  a  group  of  people  across  the  street,  and 
added — "A  devil  is  coming." 

This  last  remark  was  caused  by  a  missionary 
book-seller  emerging  from  the  crowd  and  walk- 
ing toward  the  store. 

Young  Ch  en  was  a  country  lad,  born  a  few 
miles  outside  the  southeast  gate  of  Peking. 
Like  most  Chinese  boys  he  had  been  taught  to 
read  some  of  the  Chinese  primers  and  then  been 
employed  in  this  incense  store  on  Hua'rh  Shih 
that  his  scant  wages  might  swell  the  small  in- 


10 


CHINESE    HEROES 


come  of  the  family,  thus  enabling  them  to  "pass 
the  days,"  which  is  about  all  an  ordinary  Chinese 
family  expects. 

Chen  was  a  plump,  short,  round-faced,  good- 
natured,  honest  boy,  who  enjoyed  a  good  cou- 


ch- 


Xa-yving 


science  and  two  meals  a  day.  He  was  fond  of 
a  joke  but  fond  also  of  his  books,  and  there  was 
an  uncertain  twinkle  in  his  eyes  as  he  watched 
the  approach  of  the  missionary,  though  not  a 
sign  of  mischief:  the  man  had  books. 


CH'EN    TA-YUNG— GATE    KEEPER        11 

"  Have  you  seen  any  of  these  books?"  was  the 
first  question  asked  by  the  missionary. 

"No,  what  are  they?" 

"Various  kinds.  Here  is  the  Entrance  to 
Virtue  and  Knowledge,  the  Glad  Tidings,  and 
Evidences  of  Chris tianityl^  and  with  this  answer 
he  spread  out  a  variety  of  books  upon  the 
counter. 

Both  salesmen  and  proprietor  were  interested 
in  the  books  as  well  as  in  the  man,  and  began 
plying  him  with  questions  about  himself,  his 
books,  his  country  and  his  doctrine,  which  was, 
of  course,  the  object  he  sought. 

Young  Ch'en  bought  a  book. 

H 

A  few  days  later  Ch'en  was  present  at  the 
Sunday  services  of  the  London  Mission  and  in  a 
conversation  with  the  missionary  he  said  he  had 
read  the  books  he  and  the  other  clerks  had 
bought,  which  by  a  series  of  cross-questionings 
appeared  very  evident.  He  had  not  only  read 
them  but  had  made  himself  master  of  their  con- 
tents. He  expressed  himself  as  deeply  inter- 
ested in  Christianity,  and  purchased  more  books, 
which  he  took  home  and  studied ;  and  for  some 
months  he  was  a  regular  attendant  on  the  Sun- 
day services. 

His  interest  in  this  new  life,  however,  had  not 
affected  all  his  friends  as  it  had  the  missionary. 
The  inmates  of  two  homes  and  a  business  house 


12  CHINESE    HEROES 

looked  upon  the  matter  from  a  very  different 
standpoint.  They  could  say  nothing  in  opposi- 
tion to  his  reading  the  books,  for  he  gave  no 
offense  either  by  conduct  or  conversation  ;  nev- 
ertheless his  parents  and  the  parents  of  the  girl 
to  whom  he  was  betrothed — members  of  the  Li 
family — were  not  well  pleased  that  their  son  and 
prospective  son-in-law  should  exhibit  such  a 
tendency  toward  the  teachings  of  the  "  foreign 
devil."  This  however  did  not  affect  Chen.  He 
was  not  easily  influenced.  When  his  mind  was 
made  up  it  was  not  easily  unmade.  He  con- 
tinued to  study,  continued  to  go  to  church, 
asked  to  join  on  probation,  and  when  his  months 
of  probation  were  ended  young  Chen  was 
baptized.* 

HI 

Each  fresh  step  taken  by  the  young  man  in- 
creased the  opposition  in  his  family.  His  moth- 
er was  especially  bitter  against  him.  Yet  she 
dared  not  express  it  openly  for  she  did  not  wish 
to  break  w^ith  her  son.  She  proposed  to  bring 
about  his  marriage,  thinking  that  by  giving 
him  something  different  to  think  about  she 
would  wean  him  from  this  "  devil  doctrine."  To 
this  he  was  not  loth,  especially  as  only  a  short 
time  previously  a  foreigner,  in  consideration  of 
certain  services  he  had  rendered,  had  presented 
him  with  one  hundred  ounces  of  silver  and 
young  Ch'en  had  given  up  his  position  in  the  in- 

*.He  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Joseph  Edkins,  D.D. 


CH'EN    TA-YUNG— GATE    KEEPER        13 

cense  store    and    entered  the   London  Mission 
school. 

When  the  matter  of  his  marriage  was  fully 
settled  he  announced  his  determination  to  be 
married  as  a  Christian.  A  storm  arose  in  his 
home.  His  mother  was  furious.  Chen  was 
filial  but  firm,  and  when  the  storm  had  spent  its 
force  it  left  a  young  married  couple  very  happy 
but  without  a  home,  for  Ch  en  was  married  ac- 
cording to  the  Christian's  ceremony. 

IV 

But  married  life  and  school  life  could  not  well 
be  pursued  together  on  an  empty  purse  ;  and  so, 
as  Ch'en  was  not  at  liberty  to  put  away  his 
wife — and  be  it  understood  he  did  not  wish  to 
do  so — he  found  it  necessary  to  forego  further 
study  in  school. 

It  so  happened  that  the  Methodist  Mission 
then  being  established  in  Peking  was  in  need  of 
a  servant,  and  on  Inquiring  of  certain  friends 
about  Ch'en  the  members  were  told  that  they 
were  welcome  to  him  if  they  could  get  him  to 
leave  his  books  long  enough  to  do  anything, 
which  was  more  than  they  of  the  London  Mis- 
sion could  accomplish.  Not  that  Ch'en  was 
lazy — he  was  never  lazy — but  he  had  a  consti- 
tutional indisposition  to  leave  his  books.  He 
was  willing  to  do  anything  if  only  that  thing 
were  studying  books;  and  either  because  the 
newcomers    were    in    such  desperate  straits,  or 


14  CHINESE    HEROES 

because  they  approved  of  such  a  disposition  in 
a  very  young  man,  they  concluded  to  take 
him. 

They  first  tried  him  as  a  house  servant,  but 
Chen  was  a  failure.  He  could  eat  food — indeed, 
he  was  very  fond  of  good  food — but  he  could  not 
cook  it,  and  the  office  of  "boy  "was  too  much 
like  "  woman's  work,"  "  never  done."  He  had  so 
approved  himself  to  them,  however,  either  by  his 
evident  desire  to  be  diligent  or  by  his  studious 
habits,  that  they  concluded  to  try  him  in  another 
capacity,  and  so  young  Ch'en  was  installed  as 
gate  keeper. 

V 

This  was  a  position  exactly  suited  to  the  man 
and  the  man  to  the  position — at  least  for  the 
time. 

Here  was  an  important  office,  connected  with 
which  the  only  duty  was  to  see  that  no  one  was 
admitted  except  on  business.  This  Ch'en  was 
careful  to  attend  to,  and  as  the  new  mission  was 
not  doing  much  yet  either  in  a  social  or  religious 
way  he  had  ample  time  for  study.  As  time 
passed  on,  and  Ch'en's  intelligence  daily  in- 
creased, it  beean  to  be  known  in  the  neiohbor- 
hood  that  Chinese  were  able  to  associate  with 
and  even  live  on  the  premises  of  the  "  foreign 
devil"  without  being  devoured,  and  a  pardonable 
curiosity  began  to  be  aroused  in  the  minds  of 
many  as  to  what  they  were  there  for.  The  only 
way  to  gratify  this  curiosity  was  to  call  and  see. 


CH'EN    TA-YUNG— GATE    KEEPER        15 

and  in  this  way  Ch  en  had  opportunity  to  con- 
verse with  all  classes,  educated  and  uneducated, 
on  the  subject  which  lay  nearest  to  his  heart, 
which  subject  was  the  Gospel.  No  office  fur- 
nishes a  better  opportunity  for  preaching  than 
an  Oriental  gatehouse,  and  Chen  "  magnified 
his  office"  in  a  way  that  furnished  abundant 
proof  that  only  the  most  faithful  Christian 
should  be  the  "  gate  official "  of  the  foreign  mis- 
sionary. 

A  new  idea  began  to  take  form  in  the  mind  of 
Ch'en,  namely,  that  his  position  in  life  was  not 
to  be  gate  keeper  in  the  mission  compound,  but 
"gate  keeper  in  the  house  of  the  Lord,"  and  he 
attacked  his  books  with  renewed  vigor,  deter- 
mined that  some  time  he  would  be  a  preacher  of 
the  Gospel.  There  were  obstacles,  however,  in 
the  way,  the  first  of  which  was  that  his  wife 
could  not  read  ;  and,  while  she  was  a  helpmeet 
in  his  home,  unless  she  learned  to  read  she  would 
be  a  hindrance  to  him  as  a  preacher.  How  was 
this  to  be  overcome.^  ?Ie  broucrht  the  matter 
to  his  wife,  in  the  hope  that  she  would  suggest 
that  she  could  learn  to  read.  This  solution  she 
studiously  avoided, and  after  broadly  hinting  the 
possibility  of  such  a  method  he  suggested,"  Per- 
haps you  could  learn  to  read." 

No,  Mrs.  Chen  could  not  learn  to  read.  She 
had  too  many  family  cares,  too  many  duties,  too 
much  work ;  she  was  too  old  ;  it  would  not  be 
of  any  use  to  her;  she  did  not  want  to  read. 


16  CHINESE    HEROES 

Now  Ch'en  was  too  wise  a  man  to  pursue  an 
idea  to  a  final  conclusion  without  giving  his  wife 
time  for  reflection.  He  always  put  his  ideas  to 
soak,  so  to  speak,  with  his  better  half 

The  matter  came  up  again,  and  Mr.  Ch'en 
urged  his  wife  to  study  the  Catechism  at  least. 
Mrs.  Ch'en  was  not  inclined  to  do  so.  In  the 
ordinary  story  book  Mrs.  Ch'en  would  probably 
fall  ill  and  die,  and  Mr.  Ch'en  would  marry  an 
intelligent  educated  woman.  Our  Mrs.  Ch'en 
did  not  resort  to  such  a  stratagem  as  a  solution 
of  the  difference  between  herself  and  her  hus- 
band but  she  observed  that  he  was  very  intent 
upon  it  and,  while  she  thought  It  might  be  best 
to  do  so,  she  resolved  not  to  submit  without  a 
struggle. 

Once  more  the  matter  came  up.  Mr.  Ch'en 
was  a  descendant  of  people  who  have  believed 
for  four  thousand  or  more  years  that  It  Is  the  duty 
of  a  wife  to  obey  her  husband.  Indeed  at  that 
time  the  church  he  had  left  and  the  church  he 
had  entered  both  alike  compelled  their  women 
at  the  marriage  altar  to  promise  to  obey  their 
husbands.  But  Mr.  Ch'en  preferred  to  rule  by 
moral  suasion  rather  than  by  physical  force,  or 
even  command.  Nevertheless,  as  he  had  tried 
suggesting  and  urging,  he  mildly  ordered  her  to 
study  the  Catechism.  His  order  was  too  mild  ; 
Mrs.  Ch'en  did  not  obey.  He  added  vigor  to 
his  command,  but  still  without  results  ;  and  when 
all  other  methods  had  failed  Mr.  Ch'en  took  his 


CH'EN    TA-YUNG— GATE    KEEPER        17 

wife  out  Into  a  vacant  garden,  where  no  one 
could  hear,  see  or  tell,  and — whipped  her  until 
she  promised  to  study  the  Catechism. 

And  the  Recording  Angel  with  a  tear  blotted 
out  the  record  made  against  Ch  en  for  his  cruelty 
because  of  his  ignorance,  his  earnestness,  and  the 
good  results  that  were  to  spring  therefrom  ;  for 
Ch  en  was  doing  his  best  to  become  a  preacher. 

VI 

When  he  was  made  gate  keeper,  as  we  have 
seen,  he  did  not  cease  to  be  a  student.  He 
studied  theology  in  the  gatehouse,  which  he 
transformed  into  a"  Gospel  Hall."  He  preached 
in  the  street  chapel,  in  the  school,  in  his  home — 
everywhere ;  as  the  following  quotations  from 
the  mission  history  testify  : 

"  Thus  far  only  one  has  made  a  profession 
of  Christianity  in  the  North  China  Mission. 
His  name  is  Chen  Ch'eng-mei,  and  he  is  the 
father  of  our  gate  keeper,  an  old  man,  nearly 
sixty  years  of  age,  formerly  by  occupation  a 
shoemaker." 

Turning  over  a  few  leaves  in  the  history  we 
read : 

"  The  rite  of  baptism  was  administered  to  Wen 
Hui  and  Yang  Ssu,  whose  probation  has  been 
satisfactorily  passed.  Representatives  of  widely 
different  classes,  they  stood  at  the  altar — the 
former  a  literary  graduate  of  the  second  degree, 
a  Manchu  Tartar  and  belonging  to  the  Imperial 


18  CHINESE    HEROES 

army,  the  other  a  type  of  the  laboring  class.* 
The  former  received  his  religious  impressions 
while  employed  as  teacher  of  the  boys'  school, 
the  latter  was  our  only  trophy  of  the  unsuccess- 
ful attempt  to  purchase  the  temple  in  the  South- 
ern City.  We  lost  the  place,  but  we  trust  a  soul 
was  secured  for  heaven. 

"The  chief  credit  of  bringing  forward  both  of 
these  converts  is  to  be  given  to  Ch'en  Ta-yung, 
whose  studious  habits  and  blameless  life  have  of 
late  given  us  reason  to  hope  that  he  may  yet 
find  his  proper  sphere  in  the  field  of  the  minis- 
try. Already  his  aged  father  has  taken  his  place 
as  gate  keeper,  and  his  time  has  been  given  more 
exclusively  to  study  and  work  as  an  exhorter." 

"  In  the  summer  of  1873  ^  native  named  Wang 
Tui-fu,  having  the  degree  of  Hsiu  Ts'ai  and  be- 
longing to  the  village  of  An  Chia  Chuang  in 
Shan-tung,  distant  four  hundred  miles  from  Pe- 
king, was  at  the  capital  preparing  to  enter  the 
examinations  for  the  degree  of  Chu  Jen.  Mean- 
time he  happened  into  our  chapel  on  Ha  Ta 
Men,  Great  Street,  was  interested  in  the  word 
preached,  came  again  and  again,  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Ch  en  Ta-yung  and  soon  presented 
himself  as  a  candidate  for  baptism." 

"  In  February,  1874,  it  was  decided  to  send  a 
letter  of  greeting  to  the  little  church  at  Hsin-an 
from  the  brethren    in  Peking.     Accordingly  the 

*  Although  that  was  thirty  years  ago  the  latter  is  gate  keeper  in  our 
compound  since  the  Boxer  troubles  (1902). 


CH'EN    TA-YUNG— GATE    KEEPER        19 

letter  was  written  and  intrusted  to  Ch'en  Ta- 
yung,  now  acting  as  native  preacher,  with  the 
rank  of  a  student  helper,  who  in  the  mission  cart 
with  Yang  Ssu  carried  it  thither  and  remained 
a  day  or  two  preaching  and  exhorting." 

In  thus  traveling  from  place  to  place  it  not 
infrequently  happened  that  scholars  came  to  the 
inn  to  enter  into  discussions  with  Chen  as  to 
the  relative  virtues  of  Confucianism  and  Chris- 
tianity. After  one  discussion  the  missionary 
said  to  him  : 

"  You  are  not  an  educated  man  ;  how  is  it  you 
do  not  fear  to  enter  into  discussions  with  these 
scholars  ?" 

"  Oh,"  said  Chen,  "  I  just  stick  to  the  Bible,  and 
I  know  more  about  that  than  they  do." 

Ch  en  had  in  reality  become  a  preacher,  one 
who  feared  not  the  scholar  nor  despised  the 
coolie. 

VII 

"  Poor  child  !  poor  child  !  al  ya,  ai  ya  ! " 
This  was  the  ejaculation  of  Ch'en's  mother 
when  his  first  baby  was  born.  It  was  a  girl.  It 
was  born  on  the  first  day  of  the  first  month — 
New  Year's  day.  The  old  woman  was  super- 
stitious, and  predicted  that  he  would  have  noth- 
ing but  girls  or  that  he  would  have  bad  luck  all 
his  life. 

Ch'en  was  sanguine  and  satisfied,  and  called 
his  little  girl  Mary — he  pronounced  it  Ma-li — 
after  the  mother  of  our  Lord. 


go  CHINESE    HEROES 

The  old  woman  continued  to  sigh,  the  baby 
continued  to  grow — she  was  voted  by  all  who 
knew  her  to  be  the  most  beautiful  Chinese  baby 
they  had  ever  seen — and  Chen  continued  to 
preach.  It  annoyed  his  mother  that  he  was  not 
disturbed  by  this  stroke  of  ill-luck  ;  and  when  the 
next  baby  came — which  was  a  boy — she  only 
shook  her  head  and  remarked  that  it  would  take 
more  than  one  boy  to  avert  the  calamity  occa- 
sioned by  one's  first  baby  being  a  girl  and  born 
on  the  first  day  of  the  first  month. 

Ch'en  continued  his  soul-saving  work,  read 
omnivorously,  prayed  fervently,  cracked  an  un- 
usual number  of  jokes,  called  his  boy  John,  for 
the  favorite  disciple,  and  waited  for  the  next 
baby — another  boy.  Again  the  old  woman 
sighed,  but  more  faintly  this  time,  and  it  was  not 
until  the  fifth  child  was  born,  which  was  also  a 
boy,  as  were  also  the  sixth  and  seventh,  that  she 
finally  gave  up  her  superstition  that  the  first 
baby  girl,  born  on  New  Year's  day,  would  bring 
bad  luck  to  a  Christian's  home. 

And  little  Mary  grew  up  an  educated  woman, 
married  a  doctor,  and  has  two  little  boys  and 
two  little  girls  as  beautiful  as  she  was  herself. 
Meanwhile  Ch*en  continued  steadfast  in  his  work 
of  soul-saving. 

VIII 

"Your  turn  to  remain  at  home  to-day,"  said 
Pastor  Ch'en  to  his  third  son,  a  boy  of  nine,  as 
the  family  were  starting  for  church. 


CH'EN    TA-YUNG— GATE    KEEPER        23 

"  I  shall  expect  you  to  repeat  this  portion  of 
Matthew,  when  we  return,  without  an  error." 

With  this  parting  instruction  to  the  boy 
Mr.  Ch'en  locked  the  door,  leaving  the  child 
on  the  inside,  and  then  locked  the  gate  of  the 
court. 

This  might  seem  harsh  treatment  did  we  not 
remember  that  a  house  in  China  is  never  safe 
alone,  and  the  only  way  to  be  certain  that  a  boy 
would  not  run  away  or  get  into  mischief  was  to 
give  him  something  to  keep  him  employed;  and 
what  better  business  for  a  boy  on  Sunday  than 
committing  a  portion  of  the  gospel }  As  there 
were  characters  in  the  chapter  with  which  he  was 
not  familiar  his  older  brother,  John,  and  one  of 
the  missionaries'  children  climbed  over  the  wall, 
told  him  the  characters,  and  then  left  before  Mr. 
Ch'en  returned,  which  conduct  was  so  nearly 
mischief  as  to  lend  interest  to  the  task. 

Mr.  Ch'en  was  not  one  of  those  who  set  him- 
self to  preach  so  much  gospel  and  then  rest  from 
his  labors.  He  was  not  satisfied  when  he  had 
preached  to  strangers,  his  wife  and  children  were 
his  especial  care.  When  the  latter  were  home 
from  school  during  vacation  they  were  given  two 
meals  a  day,  according  to  the  Chinese  custom, 
one  at  9  a.  m.,  the  other  at  4  p.  m.  After  break- 
fast they  were  set  to  studying  the  Scriptures, 
having  a  certain  definite  task  given  them,  for 
learning  which  they  received  ten  large  cash.  For 
every  character  they  missed    one  cash  was  d§- 


24  CHINESE    HEROES 

ducted.  If  they  missed  a  large  number  they 
were  given  a  haU^  hour's  extra  time  without 
having  their  income  curtailed.  With  the  money 
thus  earned  they  were  allowed  to  buy  cakes  for 
their  lunch. 


CK'en  "Wei-fan 

Fourth  Son  of  Ch'en  Ta-yung 

The  result  of  this  training  has  appeared  in  a 
multitude  of  noble  and  self-sacrificing  deeds  on 
the  part  of  his  boys,  and  indicates  that  Ch'en 
did  not  neglect  the  souls  of  his  children  in  his 
efforts  to  save  the  souls  of  strangers. 


CH'EN    TA-YUNG— GATE    KEEPER        25 

IX 

"  Do  not  worry  as  to  what  you  are  to  do  for  a 
living.  Finish  your  college  course  and  trust  the 
Lord.  The  Lord  will  provide  for  the  man  who 
does  his  duty."  This  was  Ch'en's  advice  to  his 
boys  when  they  indicated  anxiety  as  to  how  they 
were  to  make  a  living,  or,  as  they  put  it,  "  pass 
the  days." 

Mrs.  Chen  wished  to  economize,  and  in  this 
she  exhibited  peculiar  ingenuity  especially  in  the 
matter  of  heat.  On  a  cold  winter's  day  when 
the  foreign  physician  called  at  the  Ch'en  home 
she  found  the  infant  in  a  sand-bag.  Inquiring 
the  reason,  Mrs.  Ch'en  explained  that  sand  was 
much  more  easily  kept  clean  than  cloth  and  that 
when  the  sand  w^as  well  warmed  it  would  retain 
the  heat  all  day,  and  thus  there  was  no  difficulty 
in  keeping  the  infant  warm  even  in  cold  weather 
in  a  Chinese  house.  She  advised  all  her  family 
to  bring  up  their  children  in  the  sand-bag.  This 
method  will  scarcely  commend  itself  to  Euro- 
pean parents.  Indeed  there  is  small  reason  why 
it  should,  considering  the  houses  in  which  they 
live.  But  be  it  said  in  Mrs.  Ch'en's  favor  that 
of  her  ten  children  none  died  in  infancy,  and  nine 
were  living  when  the  Boxer  movement  began. 
They  are,  with  one  exception,  without  extrava- 
gant id-eas  ;  they  are  strong  mentally,  physically 
and  spiritually ;  and  Ch'en's  two  sons  who  have 
graduated  from  college  are  engaged  in  religious 


26  CHINESE    HEROES 

work,  on  salaries  one-tenth  what  they  could  be 
getting  in  business,  while  his  fourth  son,  now  in 
college,  promises  to  be  equally  self-sacrificing 
and  useful. 

X 

Thus  Chen  continued  to  preach  until  the 
Boxer  disturbance  of  1900,  at  which  time  he  was 
appointed  to  preach  in  a  town  outside  the  Great 
Wall  in  the  region  of  Mongolia. 

"  You  must  leave  here  at  once  and  flee  to  the 
mountains,"  urged  the  members  of  his  church 
some  time  after  he  had  arrived  at  his  appoint- 
ment. "  The  Christians  in  other  places  are  be- 
ing massacred  and  the  country  is  in  a  disturbed 
condition." 

"No,"  answered  Ch'en,  "I  will  not  leave  until 
all  the  members  of  my  flock  are  first  hid 
away." 

He  had  left  Peking  on  the  fifth  of  June,  tak- 
ing with  him  his  wife,  his  youngest  son  and  his 
youngest  daughter,  who  were  in  school,  and  had 
arrived  safely  at  Yen  Ch'ing  Chou. 

The  Christians  who  were  familiar  with  the  sur- 
rounding country  told  him  of  the  places  in  the 
mountains  where  he  and  his  family  could  hide 
with  the  greatest  prospect  of  security  and 
safety,  and  sent  the  chapel  keeper  with  them  to 
show  them  the  way.  Three  miles  from  the  city 
they  were  met  by  a  man  who  inquired,    . 

"  Who  are  you  }  " 

"  I  am  the  preacher  in  Yen  Ch'ing  Chou." 


CH'EN    TA-YUNG— GATE    KEEPER        27 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  the  mountains." 

The  man  hurried  back  to  the  village  and  in- 
formed the  Boxers  that  a  group  of  Christians 
were  fleeing  to  the  mountains. 

The  Boxer  chief,  followed  by  his  rabble,  at 
once  pursued  and  soon  overtook  them.  After 
asking  the  same  questions  as  had  been  asked  by 
the  other,  he  continued : 

"  Have  you  any  money?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Chen,  and  gave  him  all  he 
had. 

"  Throw  down  your  clothing  and  bedding." 

Chen  did  so,  and  turning  to  the  motley  crowd 
of  Boxers  and  followers  he  said : 

"Now  I  am  through ;  you  may  do  as  you 
like." 

The  little  girl,  whom  they  called  "Apple  " — 
not  an  ordinary  apple,  but  the  best  variety 
known  in  the  North — ran  screaming  to  her 
mothers  arms,  from  which  retreat  she  saw  the 
savage  Boxers  and  irresponsible  rabble  kill  and 
behead  her  father,  the  chapel  keeper  and  her 
brother,  a  boy  as  generous  and  noble  as  his 
three  older  brothers,  while  she  in  childish  fear 
cried  out, 

"  Oh,  mother,  what  shall  we  do  !  what  shall  we 
do!" 

"  We  will  all  go  to  our  Heavenly  Father  to- 
gether," said  the  old  woman,  her  faith  never 
wavering    to  the  last,  and    she    and   her    baby 


28  CHINESE    HEROES 

daughter    of    thirteen    were    hacked    to    pieces 
locked  in  each  other's  arms. 

Thus  Ch'en  proved  himself  as  heroic  in  his 
death  as  he  had  been  in  his  life. 

XI 

It  was  some  months  later  when  his  third  son, 
the  boy  who  had  been  locked  in  the  room  to 
study  the  gospel,  visited  the  place  and  gathered 
up  the  bones  of  his  loved  ones,  their  bodies 
having  been  burned,  to  give  them  proper  burial. 
The  skulls,  however,  were  nowhere  to  be  found. 
Five  months  later  these  were  discovered  and 
placed  with  the  others  in  the  family  burying 
ground. 

It  would  not  have  been  unnatural  if  a  feeling 
of  resentment  had  been  aroused  in  the  heart  of 
the  young  man  as  he  thus  looked  upon  the  re- 
mains of  his  kindred  so  foully  and  ruthlessly  mur- 
dered. Had  he  asked  the  officials  to  capture  the 
leaders,  try  them,  and  inflict  upon  them  such 
punishment  as  they  deserved,  the  w^orld  would 
not  have  regarded  it  as  unjust.  Had  he  put  in 
a  bill  for  indemnity  for  the  property  his  father 
had  lost  it  would  have  been  promptly  paid  by 
the  official.  When  asked  what  indemnity  he 
wanted  his  only  answer  was, 

"  We  are  not  in  need.  We  do  not  want  in- 
demnity." 

He  did  make  one  request  however: 

"  I  should  like  to  go  to  that  church  and  preach 


CH'EN    TA-YUNG— GATE    KEEPER        29 

the  Gospel  to  the  people  who  murdered  my 
parents." 

That  was  all.     He  was  allowed  to  go. 

Chens  investment  of  influence  in  his  sons 
and  daughters  is  appearing  in  the  form  of  noble 
Christian  character  and  self-sacrificing  service. 


30  CHINESE    HEROES 


WANG  CH'ENG-P'EI— THE  WHEELBARROW 
MAN  AND  MARTYR 

I 

"  What  does  he  mean  by  saying  he  hopes  I 
will  be  among  the  saved  ? "  asked  Teacher 
Wang  of  Pastor  Chen,  as  the  missionary  left 
the  chapel. 

Before  Ch'en  answered  the  question  the  fol- 
lowing conversation  took  place. 

First  the  preacher  asked,  "  What  is  your  hon- 
orable name,  sir  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Wang." 

"  Where  do  you  live  }  " 

"  I  live  in  the  Province  of  Shan-tung,  the  vil- 
lage of  An  Chia,  near  T'ai-an  Fu." 

"  What  is  your  business,  sir  .^  " 

"  I  have  no  business  at  present,  but  am  in 
Peking  to  attend  the  examinations." 

"Are  you  interested  in  Christianity?" 

"Yes,  I  am  interested  in  it,  but  I  do  not  un- 
derstand it.  What  does  he  mean  by  saying  he 
hopes  I  will  be  among  the  saved  ?" 

Teacher  Wang  was  of  a  delicate  constitution, 
with  much  the  appearance  of  one  In  the  latter 
stages  of  consumption.  He  was  a  first  graduate 
and  was  in  Peking  preparing  to  enter  the  exam- 
inations  for  the  master's  decree.     He  had  left 


"Wang;    CH'eng-p*e*^    ^   ,', 

Wheelbarrow  man,  preacher  and  martyr 


WANG— THE  WHEELBARROW  MAN       33 

his  home  in  Shan-tung,  four  hundred  miles  dis- 
tant, where  he  dwelt  in  a  small  country  village 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  tomb  of  Confucius, 
the  great  master  of  Chinese  morals,  and  had 
spent  two  months  on  the  road  to  the  capital, 
where  he  arrived  in  time  for  the  great  examina- 
tions. These  he  failed  to  pass.  After  the  or- 
deal he  was  pressed  to  spend  a  few  weeks  with 
congenial  companions  seeing  the  sights  of  Pe- 
king and  becoming  acquainted  w^ith  urban  life. 
To  his  excuse  that  he  could  not  afford  It  they 
offered  to  defray  all  charges,  and  in  addition  fur- 
nished him  with  the  necessary  pocket  money  to 
meet  such  small  expenses  as  he  might  incur 
when  not  in  their  company. 

While  passing  along  one  of  the  great  streets 
he  noticed  a  large  crowd  in  front  of  a  semi- 
foreign  building,  which  seemed  also  to  be  filled 
with  people,  and  pressing  his  way  through  he 
determined  to  enter  and  see  what  was  going  on. 

A  foreigner  on  a  small  raised  platform  was 
speaking  In  a  language  singularly  like  his  own  ; 
Indeed  Mr.  Wang  confessed  that  the  peculiar- 
looking  Individual  spoke  the  dialect  of  the  capi- 
tal better  than  he  himself  could  speak  It,  and  he 
inclined  his  ear  to  listen.  A  long  w^hile  he  sat 
thus,  and  when  the  speaker  stopped  and  the 
crowd  dispersed  he  remained  In  the  rear  of  the 
room  devouring  with  his  eyes  the  cut  of  the 
man's  garment,  the  size  of  his  nose  and  the 
color  of  his  eyes.     He  spoke  to   Mr.  Wang  as 


34  CHINESE    HEROES 

he  passed  out,  and  as  he  left  him  expressed  the 
hope  that  he  would  be  among  the  saved.  The 
young  Chinese  assistant,  Pastor  Chen  Ta-yung, 
at  once  engaged  Mr.  Wang  in  conversation. 
The  two  sat  down  and  in  answer  to  his  questions 
Ch'en  gave  such  explanations  as  set  forth  the 
elements  of  Christianity  and  served  rather  to 
arouse  than  to  satisfy  the  curiosity  of  such  a 
scholar  as  Teacher  Wang. 

"  Would  you  care  to  know  more  about  this 
doctrine  }  "  asked  Ch'en. 

"  Indeed  I  would,"  replied  the  scholar. 

"In  that  case,  if  you  will  go  with  me  to  see 
the  gentleman  who  has  just  been  speaking,  he 
will  answer  with  pleasure  all  the  questions  you 
desire  to  ask." 

"  By  all  means  let  us  go  at  once,"  said  Teacher 
Wang,  and  the  two,  engaged  in  friendly  conver- 
sation, started  for  the  home  of  the  missionary.^ 

II 

Teacher  Wane  was  in  earnest. 

He  had  learned  from  Ch  en  what  it  was  to  be 
saved,  and  now,  like  the  Philippian  jailer,  he  was 
anxious  to  understand  the  process  by  which  a 
man  past  middle  life  might  attain  that  very 
desirable  end.  A  long  time  they  talked,  and  as 
he  was  going,  well  satisfied  with  what  he  had 
learned,  the  missionary  called  after  him, 

"Mr.  Wang!  Mr.  Wang!" 

*Rev.  Leander  W.  Pilcher. 


WANG— THE  WHEELBARROW  MAN       35 

"What  is  It?" 

"  Should  any  further  questions  arise  in  your 
mind  to  perplex  you,  do  not  hesitate  to  call  and 
allow  me  to  help  you  solve  them." 

"  Thank  you.     I  shall  certainly  do  so." 

"You  will  come  and  dine  with  me?"  said 
Pastor  Ch'en,  "  and  we  can  talk  further  about 
this  matter." 

Teacher  Wang  did  so. 

It  seemed  singular  to  him  that  a  forelorner 
who  looked  so  savage,  with  black  beard  all  over 
his  face,  and  a  Chinese  whom  he  had  never  seen 
before  should  take  such  a  personal  interest  in 
him.  At  first  he  wondered  If  they  were  not  in- 
fluenced by  selfish  motives.  "  But  what  selfish 
motives,"  he  asked  himself,  "  could  they  have  in 
a  man  who  is  as  poor  as  I  am  ?  " 

He  called  again  and  again.  He  followed  the 
missionary's  instructions,  spending  much  of  his 
time  in  prayer,  and  it  was  not  long  until  he  be- 
gan to  see  the  light. 

"  How  long  do  you  expect  to  remain  in 
Peking?"  the  missionary  inquired  of  Mr.  Wang 
after  he  had  stepped  Into  the  light. 

"  I  do  not  know  ;  perhaps  not  long." 

"Would  you  be  willing  to  remain  here  and 
take  the  position  of  chapel  keeper  for  a  few 
months  ?  " 

"  What  duties  would  I  have  to  perform  ?  " 

"Your  principal  duties  would  be  to  live  in  the 
street    chapel  and   testify  that  Christ  is  able  to 


36  CHINESE    HEROES 

save  men,  because  he  has  saved  you,  and  con- 
verse with  men  as  Ch  en  conversed  with  you." 

"  I  will  do  so." 

After  a  few  months  it  was  evident  to  the 
missionary  that  Teacher  Wang  understood  the 
religion  he  professed,  and  he  advised  that  he  re- 
turn to  his  home  in  Sh'an-tung  and  there  witness 
among  his  friends  to  the  Saviour  he  had  found 
while  in  the  capital. 

Ill 

"Tell  us  about  your  trip,"  said  Mrs.  Wang  to 
her  husband  the  first  morning  after  his  return. 

It  was  Sunday,  and  he  gathered  his  family 
about  him  for  prayers.  After  reading  and  ex- 
pounding a  passage  of  Scripture  he  told  them 
about  his  trip,  his  meeting  with  the  missionary, 
his  newly-found  Saviour,  and  the  joy  and  peace 
that  came  to  him  in  believing ;  and  then  he  urged 
both  his  wife  and  children  to  follow  his  example. 

After  prayer  he  read  a  hymn  in  which  was  the 
couplet, 

You  who  seek  the  throne  of  grace, 
Do  not  delay. 

The  words  for  delay  were  cJiiJi  yen,  not  very 
unlike  the  words  cliih  yen,  which  mean  to  use 
tobacco,  and  when  he  read  the  hymn  his  wafe  un- 
derstood it  thus  : 

You  who  seek  the  throne  of  grace, 
Do  not  use  tobacco. 


WANG— THE  WHEELBARROW  MAN       37 

and  she  immediately  threw  away  both  pipe  and 
tobacco,  and  began  an  enthusiastic  crusade 
against  the  use  of  the  weed  among  her  neighbors. 

"  Are  there  any  foreign  woman-teachers  who 
beheve  in  Jesus  among  those  who  taught  you  ?" 
she  inquired  of  her  husband. 

"Several  of  them,"  he  repHed. 

"  How  would  it  do  for  me  to  go  and  ask  them 
to  teach  me  ?  " 

"Not  now,"  he  replied;  "wait  till  I  ask  the 
missionary." 

Teacher  Wang  began  at  once  the  preaching 
of  the  Gospel  through  the  whole  neighborhood. 
He  had  many  friends  among  the  scholars  and 
he  made  them  his  especial  care.  He  went  from 
village  to  village  carrying  with  him  copies  of  the 
books  which  had  been  given  him  to  read  and 
from  which  he  orained  much  of  his  instruction. 
He  was  especially  attached  to  the  Gospels  and 
Epistles,  and  made  them  his  constant  com- 
panions. Being  a  teacher,  and  widely  known  in 
that  part  of  the  province,  he  had  no  difficulty  in 
obtaining  access  to  the  homes.  Like  Paul,  or 
like  his  own  great  ancestor  Confucius,  he  found 
many  who  were  ready  to  entertain  him  because 
of  the  wisdom  of  his  instruction  and  conversa- 
tion ;  like  Paul  also,  many  of  his  friends  with- 
drew from  him  because  of  the  strange  doctrines 
with  which  he  had  allied  himself. 

"  Howbeit  certain  men  clave  unto  him  and 
believed." 


38  CHINESE    HEROES 

IV 

"  You  must  go  to  Peking  for  more  books," 
said  Teacher  Wang  to  his  son  Ch'eng-p'ei  after 
he  had  been  preaching  for  a  few  weeks. 

"How  shall   I  go?"  inquired  Ch'eng-pei. 

"  Take  your  wheelbarrow,"  said  his  father,  "  in 
order  that  the  trip  may  be  as  inexpensive  as 
possible." 

He  gave  his  son  a  diary  of  the  work  already 
done,  in  which  were  included  the  names  of  eight- 
een persons  who  desired  to  join  the  church  on 
probation,  most  of  whom  were  his  own  friends 
or  relations. 

"  I  first  preached  to  the  members  of  my  own 
family,"  he  afterwards  explained,  "  believing  that 
if  I  could  not  convince  them  I  could  have  little 
hope  of  winning  strangers." 

Wang  Ch'eng-p'ei,  unlike  his  father,  was  not  a 
scholar.  Like  Shun  he  had  followed  the  plow, 
or  pushed  the  wheelbarrow,  and  with  the  latter 
he  went  to  the  capital,  a  distance  of  four  hun- 
dred miles.  He  remained  only  a  few  weeks, 
which  he  spent  in  the  study  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  with  his  wheelbarrow-load  of  books  he  re- 
turned to  his  home,  but  not  until  he  had  first 
obtained  a  promise  that  some  of  the  mission- 
aries would  visit  them  in  Shan-tune  and  hold  a 
service  among  them. 

When  the  missionaries  came  they  were  ac- 
companied by  Ch'en  Ta-yung  the  preacher  and 


WANG— THE  WHEELBARROW  MAN       39 

Yang  Ssu  the  carter,  two  men  whose  history  will 
ever  be  interwoven  with  the  history  of  the  North 
China  Mission. 


Yang   Ssu,  tHe    Carter 

"  Where  is  your  father  ? "  they  inquired  of 
Ch  eng-'pei,  when  he  called  at  the  inn. 

"  He  is  on  a  preaching  and  book-selling  tour 
in  the  country,"  answered  the  son,  "but  I  will  go 
for  him  at  once." .. 


40  CHINESE    HEROES 

Unhitching  his  donkey  from  the  plow  he 
jumped  astride  it  and  was  soon  tracing  the 
donkey  paths  through  the  fields  from  village  to 
village  in  search  of  his  father. 

The  latter  was  in  the  habit  of  going  to  all  the 
villages  within  a  radius  of  twenty  miles  to  tell 
the  glad  tidings  of  salvation,  and  as  he  was  seven 
miles  away  at  this  time  it  was  some  hours  be- 
fore they  returned.  He  was  delighted  to  see 
the  missionaries,  and,  like  all  Chinese  after  hav- 
ing come  in  contact  with  foreigners,  he  was  not 
satisfied  with  the  native  method  of  salutation 
but  clutched  their  hands  in  a  manner  as  cordial 
as  it  was  awkward, 

Sunday  was  a  red  letter  day  in  Teacher  Wang's 
home.  His  son  was  baptized  and  the  two  were 
received  into  full  membership  in  the  church, 
while  his  wife,  son's  wife,  daughter,  nephew  and 
cousin  were  all  received  on  probation.  In  the 
afternoon  Ch'en  Ta-yung  preached,  and  the  sac- 
rament of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered 
to  a  little  company  of  believers  all  of  whom  were 
to  play  an  important  part  in  a  small  way  in  the 
establishment  of  the  Church  in  China.  Well 
might  the  missionary  write  : 

"  The  day  was  one  of  encouragement,  not  more 
in  what  we  actually  enjoyed  than  in  what  it 
promised,"  as  we  shall  see  who  follow  the  his- 
tory of  some  of  the  members  of  this  day's 
meeting. 

The  following  day  the  missionaries  started  on 


WANG— THE  WHEELBARROW  MAN       41 

the  return  trip,  stopping  at  the  village  of  Yang 
Ssu,  the  carter,  long  enough  to  perform  the 
marriage  ceremony  for  that  functionary,  after 
which  he  continued  with  them  on  the  journey. 

V 

If  I  were  asked  what  is  the  most  important 
thing  to  be  done  in  the  establishment  of  Chris- 
tianity in  a  heathen  land  I  should  say  the  estab- 
lishment of  Christian  homes.  God,  when  he 
undertook  to  people  a  world,  did  it  by  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  home.  Again,  when  he  undertook 
to  save  a  world  from  the  flood,  he  did  it  by  sav- 
ing a  home.  Once  more,  when  he  wanted  to 
raise  up  a  nation  into  whose  minds  and  hearts 
he  could  commit  his  most  precious  revelation,  he 
did  it  by  raising  up  a  God-fearing  man  and  wife  ; 
for  Sarah  was  as  important  an  element  as  Abra- 
ham in  the  making  of  the  character  of  the  Jew- 
ish people.  Those  who  desire  to  know  the 
difference  between  a  man  with  a  Christian  wife 
and  one  with  a  heathen  wife  in  a  heathen  land 
may  study  the  history  of  Abraham  and  Lot,  both 
of  whom  are  alike  called  faithful.  But  while  the 
record  of  the  one  is  resplendent  with  honor  that 
of  the  other  may  not  be  written.  It  was  not  un- 
wise, therefore,  for  Teacher  Wang  to  spend  his 
first  efforts  in  securing  a  home  following. 

"  I  hope  you  did  not  forget  to  ask  the  mission- 
ary if  I  might  go  to  Peking  to  study,"  said  Mrs. 
Wang  to  her  husband  on  Sunday  afternoon. 


42  CHINESE    HEROES 

"I  asked  him,  and  he  said  you  might  go." 

"  When  may  I  go  ?  " 

"  As  soon  as  you  are  ready." 

"  I  cannot  leave  you  until  you  are  stronger," 
said  the  woman. 

This  was  not  the  first  time  reference  had  been 
made  to  Teacher  Wang's  health. 

For  years  he  had  been  in  delicate  health,  and 
it  was  evident  that  his  long  trips  in  the  country, 
sleeping  in  all  kinds  of  homes  and  eating  all 
kinds  of  food,  was  rapidly  telling  on  his  health. 
He  was  becoming  weaker  and  weaker,  but  he 
was  deaf  alike  to  the  pleadings  of  his  family  and 
to  the  advice  of  the  missionaries  that  he  should 
take  more  rest.  He  did  take  as  good  care  of 
himself  as  he  could,  and  his  reply  always  was,"  I 
can  live  but  a  few  years  longer,  and  I  must  spend 
them  in  diligent  service  of  my  Master,"  and  with 
these  words  he  would  enter  upon  another  term 
of  service. 

Some  months  later,  when  the  missionaries 
again  visited  his  home,  they  found  the  thread  of 
life  almost  exhausted.  They  baptized  the  re- 
maining members  of  his  family  and  some  of  his 
friends,  took  the  names  of  others  on  probation, 
and  ten  days  after  they  had  departed  Teacher 
Wang  left  the  service  of  the  Master  on  earth  for 
the  association  with  Him  in  heaven,  committing 
his  work  to  his  son,  W^ang  Ch'eng-p'ei,  and  his 
ever  faithful  wife,  both  of  whom,  however,  were 
in  sad  need  of  preparation. 


WANG— THE  WHEELBARROW  MAN       43 

VI 

"  Children,"  said  Mrs.  Wang,  after  the  remains 
of  her  husband  had  been  carried  to  their  last 
resting  place,  "  you  must  be  good  to-day  while 
mother  is  away." 

"Where  are  you  going,  mother .?"  piped  up 
her  two  little  daughters. 

"  I  am  going  to  sell  books  and  preach  as  your 
father  did." 

With  this  she  bade  good-by  to  the  children, 
took  the  package  of  books  she  had  wrapped  up 
in  a  square  of  cloth,  and  departed  upon  her  er- 
rand of  love  and  service.  She  first  visited  the 
homes  of  relatives  and  friends,  then  the  homes 
of  neighbors,  after  which  she  went  to  sell  her 
books  and  tell  her  story  of  redeeming  grace  in 
the  adjacent  villages.  She  met  with  no  little 
opposition  on  account  of  her  zeal  and  what 
some  of  her  relatives  and  friends  called  her 
"  craziness." 

"  You  are  insane,  Mrs.  Wang,"  they  said  ;  "  the 
words  you  speak  are  the  words  of  a  crazy 
woman." 

"  Was  not  my  husband  a  scholar  }  "  she  asked. 

"  Quite  right,  he  was  a  scholar." 

"  Did  he  not  preach  this  doctrine  ?  Did  he 
not  die  believing  in  this  doctrine  .-^  Is  he  not  in 
heaven  now  as  a  result  of  this  doctrine  ?  Was  he 
crazy?  No, my  friends,  I  am  not  insane.  I  am 
trying   to    do    the  work   my.  husband  was  not 


44  CHINESE    HEROES 

spared  to  do,"  and  when  the  missionaries  re- 
turned a  few  months  later  it  was  thus  they  found 
her  carrying  on  the  work  of  her  husband. 

They  invited  her  to  go  to  Peking  to  study, 
knowing  that  unless  she  could  read  she  could 
not  accomplish  the  ends  she  designed  ;  where- 
fore a  few  days  after  they  had  departed  she  took 
her  son  and  her  two  little  daughters  and  started 
on  that  long  trip  to  the  capital. 

The  girls  were  placed  in  school  and  the  woman 
given  rooms  in  another  part  of  the  court,  and  she 
began  to  study  the  Gospel  of  Matthew. 

"  Who  ever  heard  of  a  woman  as  old  as  you 
learning  to  read  .^"  said  the  gate  keeper  with  a 
laugh. 

"  I  will  learn  to  read,  no  matter  how  difficult 
the  task,"  answered  Mrs.  Wancr. 

It  was  only  a  short  time  after  this  when,  in- 
quiring the  name  of  a  certain  character,  she  was 
told, 

"Why,  that  is  your  own  name;"  and  she 
adds,  "  I  discovered  how  ignorant  1  was,  and 
prayed  the  Lord  for  help  and  set  to  work  with 
diligence." 

For  seven  months  she  continued  at  her  books. 
At  the  end  of  this  time  she  was  able  to  read  the 
gospel,  and  she  then  asked  to  return  home  and 
spend  a  year  in  the  active  service  of  soul-saving. 
Then  she  entered  upon  her  studies  once  more  ; 
and  as  the  years  passed  she  continued  a  part  of 
the  time  in  study  and  a  part  in  traveling  over 


WANG— THE  WHEELBARROW  MAN       45 

Shan-tung  and  Chlh-ll  provinces  and  her  testi- 
mony at  present  is — for  she  still  lives  : 

"  It  has  been  twenty-four  years  since  I  ac- 
cepted Christianity,  during  which  time  it  has 
been  impossible  for  me  to  measure  the  grace 
given  me.  I  am  now  seventy-five  years  old,  and 
I  would  that  all  who  read  this  would  join  with 
me  in  praising  the  Lord  that  every  member  of 
my  family  is  safely  within  the  fold." 

VII 

"  No,  you  cannot  go  farther  in  the  cart,"  said 
Wang  Ch'eng-p'ei  to  his  mother  the  first  time 
he  took  her  from  Pekinor  to  Shan-tunor. 

They  had  started  from  Peking  in  a  Chinese 
cart  but  before  going  far  upon  their  way  the 
cart  tipped  over  and  Mrs.  Wang  was  thrown  out 
upon  the  road,  receiving  very  serious  injuries. 

"  But  what  will  we  do  ?  "  inquired  his  mother. 

"  I  do  not  know  what  we  will  do,  but  you  can- 
not go  on  in  this  cart." 

"  I  might  ride  a  donkey,"  she  suggested. 

"  You  remain  here  while  I  go  to  the  inn  and 
see  what  arrangements  I  can  make." 

The  distance  to  their  home  was  almost  four 
hundred  miles.  It  was  impossible  for  his  mother 
to  ride  farther  in  the  cart.  Her  injuries  were 
such  that  the  jolting  of  a  springless  cart,  to- 
gether with  the  agitation  entailed  by  the  recent 
accident,  would  be  too  much  for  the  old  woman's 
nerves,  and  the  son  was  unwilline  to  run  further 


46  CHINESE    HEROES 

risks  with  his  mother.  He  remembered  the  in- 
structions of  his  own  sacred  books.  He  remem- 
bered the  primers  he  had  learned  in  his  youth, 
wherein  he  was  taught  that, 

To  every  instruction  of  parents  you  need 
To  respectfully  listen,  with  deference  heed. 
Warm  well  their  couch  on  the  cold  winter  days, 
Fan  their  couch  cool  from  the  sun's  scorching  blaze. 

But  he  remembered  something  more  than  this, 
something  which  with  his  new  faith  had  a  more 
powerful  influence  over  him,  and  as  he  walked 
back  to  the  inn  he  repeated,  "  Honor  thy  father 
and  thy  mother ; "  and  he  said  to  himself, 

"  I  will  get  a  wheelbarrow  and  wheel  her 
home.  What  matters  it  that  the  distance  is  four 
hundred  miles!  I  brought  a  wheelbarrow-load 
of  Bibles  from  Peking,  why  should  I  not  wheel 
my  mother }  She  is  more  precious  even 
than—" 

But  he  finished  not  the  sentence.  He  soon 
secured  a  wheelbarrow,  and  placing  his  mother 
on  one  side,  and  their  effects  (which  consisted 
mostly  of  their  bedding)  on  the  other,  he  spent 
the  following  twenty-five  days  wheeling  his 
mother  home,  a  distance  of  nearly  four  hundred 
miles.*  . 


*  "  Old  Mrs.  Wang  has  had  another  serious  accident,  probably  making 
her  a  cripple  for  life.  She  lives  with  her  son  and  is  still  abundant  in 
labor  that  comes  within  her  reach.  Through  her  many  women  are  hear- 
ing the  Gospel." — Minutes  of  North  China  Conference,  1900. 


WANG--THE  WHEELBARROW  MAN       47 

VIII 

*  I  am  as  happy  as  if  I  had  a  double-handful 
of  cash,"  said  one  of  Wang  Ch  eng-p'ei  s  little 
boys  to  the  other  as  they  played  together  in  the 
court. 

"  Oh,"  said  the  other,  with  still  greater  glee,  "  I 
am  as  happy  as  If  I  had  a  double-handful  of  sil- 
ver !  "  and  putting  his  hands  together  as  he  spoke 
he  scooped  them  full  of  fine  sand  which  he 
allowed  to  trickle  down  in  a  cone-shaped  pile 
between  his  feet. 

Their  father  had  long  ere  this  become  a 
preacher  and  their  grandmother,  now  an  old 
woman,  was  spending  the  autumn  of  her  life  in 
the  home  of  her  son.  She  often  told  them  about 
the  time  when  the  cart  tipped  over  and  their 
father  wheeled  her  home,  an  Incident  that  will 
ever  be  fraught  with  interest  for  the  descendants 
of  Wang  Ch'eng-p  el. 

"And  was  papa  a  preacher  then,  grandma?  " 
asked  the  boys. 

"  No,  he  was  not  a  preacher,  but  he  was  study- 
ing to  become  a  preacher." 

"  He  could  not  do  It  now,"  said  Ch'Ing-p'ing, 
the  younger  of  the  two  ;  "  he  Is  too  fat." 

"  But  why  are  you  so  happy  } "  asked  their 
grandmother. 

"  Well,  you  know,  grandma,  the  missionary 
came  to  hold  revival  meetings  here.  He 
preached  a  whole  week  and  still  thought  he  had 


4.8  CHINESE    HEROES 

not  moved  the  heart  of  any  one,  and  last  night 
when  he  sat  down  and  asked  if  any  one  had 
anything  to  say,  nobody  said  a  word.  I  knew 
it  was  not  proper  for  a  boy  to  speak  before  the 
old  men  had  spoken  and  so  I  waited  a  long 
time,  though  I  wanted  to  confess  my  sins.  But 
when  no  one  made  any  confession  1  could  stand 
it  no  longer  and  so  I  confessed." 

"And  what  had  you  to  confess,  my  boy.^" 
asked  his  grandmother. 

"  Do  you  not  remember,  grandma,  when  you 
left  me  to  attend  my  little  sister.^  " 

"A  few  days  ago  ?     Yes." 

"  Well,  I  slapped  her  because  she  was  mis- 
chievous, and  it  made  me  very  unhappy,  be- 
cause, you  know,  she  is  little,  and  she  cried." 

"  Was  that  all  you  had  to  confess  ?  "  asked  his 
grandmother,  wondering  at  the  little  sins  which 
disturb  the  mind  of  a  child. 

"  No.  The  evening  you  sent  me  to  the  shop, 
to  buy  things,  I  could  not  get  back  until  after 
dark  and  I  was  afraid.  I  said  to  myself,  *  Jesus 
can  take  care  of  me  as  well  in  the  dark  as  in  the 
light,'  but  still  I  was  afraid.  I  could  not  trust 
him.  Of  course  we  ought  to  trust  Jesus  ;  ought 
we  not,  grandma  ?  " 

"Certainly,  my  child." 

"After  brother  and  I  had  confessed  our  sins 
some  of  the  big  folks  cried  and  the  missionary 
looked  as  if  he  were  crying  too.  'Most  every- 
one cried.     Then  the  men  confessed  their  sins, 


WxVNG— THE  WHEELBARROW  MAN      49 

and  they  said  very  much,  but  more  as  if  they 
were  happy  than  sorry,  and  they  sang, 

Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow. 

Then  everybody  shook  hands  with  everybody 
else,  and  cried,  and  laughed,  and  sang  and  said 
'  Praise  the  Lord,'  and  were  very  happy  ;  that  is 
the  reason  brother  and  I  are  happy." 

These  confessions  of  the  grandchildren  of  old 
Teacher  Wang  started  arevival  like  which  nothing 
before  had  been  known  in  China.  The  members 
of  the  church  became  new  creatures.  Others 
found  Christ  as  a  Saviour  and  entered  the  church. 
But,  more  important  still,  it  was  the  precursor 
of  a  series  of  revivals  which  spread  throughout 
all  of  North  China,  extending  to  other  schools 
and  churches  and  preparing  both  students  and 
Christians  for  the  persecutions  which  were  soon 
to  follow. 

IX 

When  the  Boxers  reached  Peking,  and  the 
people  from  all  the  other  missions  gathered  at 
the  Methodist  compound,  they  at  once  organized 
themselves  into  various  committees  the  duty  of 
each  of  which  was  to  take  charge  of  some  partic- 
ular kind  of  work.  Some  were  laborers  ;  others 
took  charge  of  the  food  supply;  others  the  water; 
others  fortifications ;  while  Wang  Ch'eng-p'ei 
was  made  governor-in-chief  of  the  Chinese  fight- 
ing forces.  On  one  occasion,  when  they  sought 
in  vain  for  some  one  to  carry  a  message  to  the 


50  CHINESE    HEROES 

enemy  encamped  in  the  south-west  corner  of  the 
city,  Ch'eng-p'ei  said, 

"  Give  it  to  me  ;  I  will  take  it." 

"  Put  on  an  official  hat  and  clothes,"  said  the 
head  of  the  oreneral  committee.     "Official  ear- 

o  -    o 

ments  inspire  fear  and  respect." 

Thus  clad  he  delivered  the  message. 
When  they  arrived  in  Su  Wang-fu  it  seemed 
to  many,  both  foreign  and  native,  that  all  was  lost, 
and  that  they  were  penning  themselves  up  thus 
to  be  butchered  like  so  many  sheep.  It  seemed 
impossible  that  a  handful  of  people  with  insuffi- 
cient provisions  and  almost  unarmed  could  re- 
sist the  forces  of  the  Empire.  During  the  first 
days  of  the  siege  the  Chinese  pressed  them  hard 
and  on  one  occasion  nothing  but  the  wall  sepa- 
rated the  two  forces.  The  Boxers  on  the  out- 
side were  pitching  bricks  over  the  wall,  while  the 
Christians  within  hurled  missiles  back  in  hope 
of  breaking  the  heads  as  well  as  the  ranks  of 
the  enemy.  The  Chinese  soldiers  had  climbed 
to  the  roof  of  a  house  where  they  could  see  into 
the  court  and  pick  off  with  their  rifles  any  who 
showed  themselves,  so  that  the  fighting  forces  of 
Christians  under  Wang  Ch'eng-p'ei  were  com- 
pelled to  creep  about  close  enough  to  the  wall 
to  avoid  the  bullets  of  the  soldiers  on  the  roof, 
and  far  enough  away  to  avoid  the  bricks  of  the 
Boxers. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  one  of  the  young  pas- 
tors, Liu  Chi-hsien,  raised  his  head  a  trifle  higher 


WANG— THE  WHEELBARROW  MAN      51 

than  he  should  and  in  an  Instant  a  bullet  pierced 
his  brain. 

"  Men,"  cried  Wang  Ch  eng-p  ei,  "  we  must  up 
and  fight  or  we  are  all  lost." 

"You  lead  the  way  and  we  will  follow,"  shouted 
a  Congregational  comrade. 

"  A  good  brother  ! "  answered  Ch'eng-p  ei,  wind- 
ing his  queue  around  his  head  and  springing  to 
his  feet.  "  Come  on  ;  we  will  drive  them  off  or 
die." 

They  did  both. 

Wang  Ch'eng-p'ei  with  his  left  arm  akimbo 
and  his  spear  in  his  right  hand  led  the  men  to 
victory,  but  a  bullet  pierced  his  hand  and  passed 
through  his  body.  A  few  hours  later,  attended 
by  loving  hands,  with  faith  in  God  and  a  smile 
upon  his  face,  he  passed  away,  and  was  laid  in 
a  martyr's  grave. 


52  CHINESE    HEROES 


CHILD-PRISONERS 

A    TALE    OF    THE    BOXER    OUTRAGES    IN    PEKING 
I 

"  Come,  boys,  come  quickly,"  said  Professor 
Chung,  calling  to  the  children  who  were  playing 
in  the  court. 

Anxiety  was  written  upon  every  feature  and 
fear  expressed  in  every  intonation  of  his  voice. 

"  May  we  not  finish  our  game,  papa  ?  "  asked 
Kan-en,  the  younger  of  the  two  boys,  as  he  kicked 
the  descending  shuttlecock  with  the  side  of  his 
thick-soled  shoe. 

"  No,  no,  boys,  come  quickly;  there  is  no  time 
to  play  now,"  exclaimed  the  anxious  father. 

"  Who  beat  ?  "  asked  their  sister,  as  they  came 
on  the  veranda. 

"  Kan-en,"  answered  the  elder  of  the  two. 

"  Brother  is  a  better  player  than  I  am,"  ex- 
plained Kan-en,  "  but  I  had  good  luck  to-day." 
This  lest  his  brother  should  feel  unhappy  at  his 
own  defeat,  for  the  boys  were  taught  to  be 
modest  and  never  to  exult  at  their  own  success 
or  the  misfortune  or  failure  of  another. 

"What  is  the  trouble.^"  asked  K'ao-en,  the 
elder  brother. 

"  Papa  says  the  foreigners   have   all  fled  and 


CHILD-PRISONERS  53 

we  must  leave  our  home  and  hide  or  we  will  be 
killed  by  the  Boxers." 

Professor  Chung  was  a  teacher  in  the  Imperial 
University.  He  was  a  scholar,  being  a  graduate 
of  an  American  college  and  having  passed  the 
Imperial  examinations,  receiving  the  first  degree. 
He  was  a  true  son  of  the  Middle  Kingdom  but  he 
had  been  associated  with  the  foreigners.  True,  it 
was  under  the  patronage  of  his  own  sovereign, 
but  the  savage  Boxers  in  their  ignorance  and 
superstition  had  determined  to  rid  the  country 
of  every  vestige  of  foreign  influence,  and  massa- 
cre every  one  associated  with  the  "  foreign 
devils." 

Most  of  his  possessions  had  been  packed  in 
boxes  and  sent  to  the  homes  of  friends  who  had 
no  connection  with  foreigners,  in  the  hope  that 
they  might  be  saved,  and  it  now  remained  to 
find  safe  hiding-places  for  the  members  of  his 
family. 

"  Where  shall  we  go.'^"  asked  his  wife  as  the 
last  box  was  sent  away. 

"  We  ought  to  pack  the  things  in  the  other 
three  rooms,"  said  Chung,  without  answering  her 
question. 

"  No,"  interposed  his  aged  father,  "  you  are 
unnecessarily  alarmed,  my  son.  In  a  few  days 
the  whole  matter  will  have  blown  over  and  we 
can  return  in  perfect  safety.  We  have  packed 
enough." 

"  Mr.  Wang  and  his   family  are  going  to  the 


54 


CHINESE    HEROES 


grain  shop,"  said  Professor  Chung,  turning  to 
his  wife  as  If  to  answer  her  question.  "  Grand- 
father and  K'ao-en  may  go  with  them.  I  will 
take  you  and  the  girls,  with  Kan-en  and  the  baby, 
to  Teacher  Liu's,  in  the  south-west  of  the  city." 


Professor  CKving 


"  May  I  not  go  with  brother  .f^"  asked  Kan-en, 
in  the  hope  that  they  might  complete  their  un- 
finished game. 

"  No,  my  son  ;  you  must  go  and  help  take 
care  of  mamma  and  sisters." 


CHILD-PRISONERS  55 

That  was  enough  for  that  child  of  seven.  The 
prospect  of  being  useful  offered  greater  induce- 
ments than  the  most  attractive  game. 

Carts  were  soon  called,  and  after  an  hours 
bumping  over  rough  streets  they  arrived  at 
Teacher  Liu's  only  to  find  that  the  foreigners 
had  likewise  fled  taking  with  them  all  the  native 
women  and  children.  After  a  few  moments' 
conversation  Chung  concluded  to  take  his  family 
to  the  Methodist  mission,  where  foreigners  and 
natives  alike  were  collecting  in  the  hope  of  de- 
fending themselves  against  their  common  enemy. 

After  an  unusually  tender  leave-taking  for  a 
Chinese  husband  and  father  Chung  left  his  fam- 
ily and  hastened  back  to  care  for  his  own  home- 
stead. 

His  father  and  eldest  son  were  safely  housed 
with  the  Wang  family  at  the  grain  shop,  and 
after  a  night  or  two  of  watching  and  anxiety  he 
took  what  food  he  could  get  and  went  to  carry  it 
to  his  wife  ;  for  hundreds  were  gathering  at  the 
mission,  having  left  everything  they  had  in  their 
homes,  not  even  bringing  with  them  either  food 
or  bedding. 

"  Your  family  have  left,"  said  the  gate  keeper 
when  he  arrived. 

"  Where  have  they  gone  }  " 

"  I  think  they  went  to  Teacher  Liu's,  but  I  am 
not  certain." 

Chung  mounted  his  cart  and  drove  as  fast  as 
he  could  to  Teacher  Liu's. 


56  CHINESE    HEROES 

"  Is  my  wife  here  ?  "  was  his  first  inquiry. 

"  She  is.  We  have  just  bought  them  some 
eggs  and  cakes,  and  they  are  eating  in  that  side 
room." 

The  smaller  children  were  enjoying  it  as  they 
would  a  picnic,  but  there  was  a  settled  look  of 
anxiety  on  the  faces  of  both  parents  as  their  eyes 
met. 

"  Why  did  you  leave?"  Chung  inquired. 

"  We  were  without  food  or  bedding,"  answered 
his  wife.     "  Let  us  return  home  and  run  the  risk." 

They  did  so,  but  they  had  not  been  home  an 
hour  when  a  messenger  came  to  say  that  the 
Boxers  had  looted  and  burned  two  of  the  mis- 
sions, that  theirs  was  the  next  on  the  list,  and 
that  they  were  less  than  a  mile  away. 

"  You  take  the  boys  to  the  grain  shop,"  said 
Chung  to  his  father,  who  in  the  meantime  had 
also  returned,  "  and  I  will  take  the  women  to 
the  milk  store  on  the  other  street." 

The  doors  of  the  milk  store  were  closed,  and 
the  best  he  could  do  was  to  leave  them  in  a 
small  vegetable  shop  near  the  place  he  sought. 

As  soon  as  he  had  seen  them  safe  he  hastened 
to  learn  if  his  father  and  the  boys  had  likewise 
been  shut  out  of  the  grain  shop,  but  they  were 
gone  he  knew  not  where. 

He  hurried  back  to  his  family  but  they  also 
had  fled,  being  driven  out  of  the  shop  by  the 
proprietor,  who  had  returned  in  the  meantime, 
and  Chung  was  left  standing  on  the  street  alone. 


CHILD-PRISONERS  67 


II 


The  streets  were  thronged  with  men,  women 
and  children  hurrying  in  every  direction. 

The  hasty  glance  over  the  shoulder,  the  whis- 
pered instruction  of  the  parents  to  the  little 
ones,  and  the  quick  step,  all  betokened  the  fear 
that  drove  them  from  their  homes. 

When  old  Mr.  Chung  and  the  boys  arrived  at 
the  grain  shop  they  found  that  the  Wang  family 
had  been  compelled  to  leave  and  seek  another 
hiding-place. 

"  Did  they  all  go  together?  "  he  inquired. 

"  No,"  replied  the  shop-keeper,  "  Mr.  W^ang  and 
his  son  and  youngest  daughter  went  together; 
and  Mrs.  Wang  with  her  daughter-in-law  and 
the    other    daughters    formed  a   party  of  their 


own." 


"Where  did  Mrs.  Wang  go?"  inquired  Mr. 
Chung,  for  she  was  his  daughter. 

"  She  went  outside  the  An-ting  gate,"  replied 
the  shop-keeper. 

"  Then,"  said  he  to  the  boys,  "  we  will  go  and 
find  her.  It  may  be  she  will  need  our  assist- 
ance and  protection." 

"  We  will  take  care  of  her;  will  we  not,  grand- 
pa?" said  Kan-en  flourishing  a  stick  which  he 
carried  with  him.  "  Three  men  can  withstand  a 
large  number  of  Boxers."  And  he  jumped  up 
kicking  backward  as  though  at  an  imaginary 
shuttlecock. 


58 


CHINESE    HEROES 


To  these  two  boys  it  was  still  a  picnic.  They 
were  going  out  in  the  country  for  a  lark.  They 
played  soldier  all  the  way,  walking  beside  each 
other  with  their  sticks  on  their  shoulders  in 
true  soldier  fashion  or  making  a  dash  at  an  im- 


OH\an^   R.*ao-en 

aginary  enemy  with  fixed  bayonets.  But  when 
they  came  near  where  the  soldiers  were — and 
they  were  to  be  seen  on  every  side  after  they 
passed  beyond  the  gate  — they  each  took  hold  of 
his  grandfather's  hand  and  walked  along  with 
a  quiet  dignity  like  well-behaved  citizens. 

They  were  little  men.    Their  clothing  was  cut 


CHILD-PRISONERS  59 

on  the  same  pattern  as  that  of  their  grandfather. 
Their  faces  were  bright  and  expressive,  not  to 
say  beautiful,  and  indicated  an  intelligent  par- 
entage. Their  conduct  was  worthy  of  their  sta- 
tion. They  were  neither  excessively  shy  nor 
intrusively  bold.  No  one  could  enter  a  drawing- 
room  with  a  more  manly  bearing  or  greet  a 
guest  with  a  better  bow,  all  which,  with  their 
little  manly  ways,  attracted  attention  to  them 
wherever  they  went. 

They  found  Mrs.  Wang  and  the  others  outside 
the  gate,  near  the  Temple  of  Earth,  hiding  in  a 
cave-like  excavation  in  a  deep  gully.  Soldiers 
surrounded  them  on  every  side.  Savage  mon- 
sters, followers  of  Tung  Fu-hsiang,  thirsting  for 
the  blood  of  all  who  had  had  any  connection 
with  foreigners,  whether  in  a  diplomatic,  re- 
ligious, or  business  capacity  ;  and  followers  also 
of  Prince  Ch'ing,  who,  though  they  dared  not  do 
much  to  oppose  the  actions  of  their  cruel  com- 
patriots, yet  steadfastly  refused  to  take  any  part 
in  their  unjustifiable  attack  on  the  legations. 
Amid  such  surroundings  it  was  impossible  for 
our  friends  to  remain  long  undiscovered  in  their 
temporary  hiding  place,  and  especially  with  two 
such  boys  as  Kan-en  and  K'ao-en  members  of 
their  party. 

Among  those  encamped  near  them  was  a  mili- 
tary officer,  in  command  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  soldiers,  named  Li  Tien-wen,  who  became 
interested  in  and  took  a  fancy  to  the  boys. 


6Q  CHINESE    HEROES 

"  Give  them  to  me,"  he  said  to  their  grand- 
father, "  and  I  will  take  care  of  them." 

"  Perhaps  you  will  kill  them,"  replied  the  old 
man. 

"  If  I  wanted  to  kill  them  why  should  I  ask  for 
them?"  retorted  the  officer.  "Nothing  pre- 
vents my  killing  them  where  they  are." 

And  with  but  little  parleying  the  old  man 
turned  the  boys  over  to  the  Boxer  chief,  for  so 
we  must  consider  him,  and  it  was  well  he  did  so  ; 
for  nothing  worse  could  happen  to  them  than 
must  have  befallen  their  grandfather  and  the 
women  he  went  to  protect,  none  of  whom  have 
been  heard  of  since. 

The  boys  were  taken  to  the  officer's  tent  and 
instructions  given  to  the  guards  to  allow  no  evil  to 
befall  them,  and  amid  the  enemies  of  their  people 
they  played  soldier  with  as  little  fear  as  they  had 
done  in  company  with  their  grandfather. 

The  possession  of  two  such  boys  by  an  officer 
could  not  remain  a  secret.  The  news  flew  from 
tent,  and  from  company  to  company,  and  soon 
reached  the  ear  of  another  officer  in  command 
of  five  hundred  troops,  who  was  without  such  a 
coveted  offspring.  This  was  Lo  Ch'un-hsiu,  and 
donning  his  official  robes  he  set  out  to  call  on 
Major  Li. 

"  Ah,  Major  Li,"  said  he  after  the  ordinary 
civilities  of  the  occasion  had  been  expressed, 
"  from  what  sacred  tree  have  you  plucked  such 
fair  and  well-developed  fruit  ?  " 


CHILD-PRISONERS  61 

"  You  know  how  the  lotus  grows,"  answered 
Major  Li. 

"  Yes,  but  these  are  fruit,  not  flowers." 

"  Rice  grows  as  does  the  lotus.  Colonel  Lo, 
from  the  submerged  surface  and  the  slime." 

"  I  fear  I  am  unseemly  stupid.  I  do  not  un- 
derstand you." 

"  Listen,  then.  These  two  children  have  grown 
amid  the  slime  of  the  hated  Christians,  are  follow- 
ers of  the  *  Foreign  Devil,'  fled  from  the  city  with 
their  grandfather  and  joined  their  aunt,  with  some 
other  relatives,  who  were  living,  as  one  might 
expect  them  to,  in  a  gully  not  far  from  my  camp. 
I  asked  for  them  and  they  were  delivered  over 
to  me,  and  as  I  suppose  their  parents  have  been 
or  will  be  massacred  I  propose  to  adopt  and 
bring  them  up  as  my  own  children." 

"  Two  such  boys  are  too  rich  a  prize  for  one 
man,"  said  Colonel  Lo  ;  "  give  one  to  me." 

Major  Li  gazed  at  the  boys  with  a  look  which 
was  well-nigh  indefinable.  It  was  not  love — he 
had  not  had  time  to  have  learned  to  love  them. 
It  was  not  fear — he  had  nothing  to  fear  from  his 
superior  officer,  though  he  felt  he  could  not  well 
refuse  his  request ;  it  was  the  look  which  might 
appear  upon  the  face  of  a  miser  when  compelled 
to  give  up  a  part  of  his  most  cherished  posses- 
sion. "  Very  well,"  said  he,  "  take  the  younger ; 
but  you  will  not  let  any  harm  befall  him." 

And  Colonel  Lo  returned  to  his  tent  taking 
with  him  little  Kan-en. 


62  CHINESE    HEROES 

III 

When  Professor  Chung  discovered  that  his 
wife  and  daughters  had  been  driven  out  of  the 
vegetable  shop,  and  his  father  and  sons  with  his 
brother-in-law's  family  had  been  forced  to  leave 
the  grain  shop,  he  was  almost  beside  himself. 
Yet  there  was  nothing  he  could  do.  There  was 
no  one  from  whom  he  could  demand  satisfaction, 
for  no  one  was  under  obligation  to  protect  his 
family  at  such  a  critical  period.  The  sight  of 
him  was  pitiable.  For  three  days  or  more  his 
nerves  had  been  kept  at  their  utmost  tension. 
His  face  was  pale,  his  eyes  wild,  and  his 
whole  body  in  a  tremor.  Every  moment  he 
knew  the  Boxer  rabble  was  drawing  nearer  to 
where  they  were.  There  was  not  a  moment  to 
be  lost,  and  yet  he  knew  not  which  way  to 
turn. 

Was  it  possible,  he  asked  himself,  that  his 
young  wife  and  the  fair  forms  of  those  innocent 
girls  were  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  that  savage 
horde  .^  and  without  knowing  where  he  went, 
led,  no  doubt,  by  the  filial  and  parental  ties  that 
bound  him  to  his  father  and  his  boys,  he  hastily 
retraced  his  steps  to  the  grain  shop. 

But  there  everything  was  as  quiet  as  death. 
The  doors  were  closed  and  barred  and  not  a 
sound  came  from  within.  He  peeped  through 
the  cracks  of  the  board  front,  but  only  to  gaze 
into  darkness.     He  looked  up  the   great  street 


CHILD-PRISONERS  63 

toward  the  xA.n-tIng  gate,  not  knowing  that  his 
father  and  boys  had  gone  in  that  direction,  and 
then  down  the  street  where  a  solitary  Individual 
was  slowly  walking  toward  him. 

He  sauntered  toward  the  south,  looking  as 
unconcerned  as  was  possible  under  the  circum- 
stances, greeting  the  other  with  a  slight  bend  of 
the  body. 

"Are  you  not  Professor  Chung.r^"  asked  the 
other  with  evident  concern. 

"Yes,  I  am,"  said  Chung,  not  knowing  what 
new  calamity  was  now  upon  him. 

"  I  saw%"  said  the  other  in  a  half-w^hlsper,  "  a 
lady  with  two  girls  and  a  child  pass  this  direc- 
tion. Might  it  be  Mrs.  Chung  .f^  They  are  now 
In  First  Street — at  least  they  turned  in  that 
way." 

Chung  waited  to  hear  no  more.  With  a 
polite  expression  of  his  obligation  he  hurried  as 
rapidly  as  he  dared  In  the  direction  of  First 
Street,  from  the  mouth  of  which  he  saw  his 
wife  and  daughters,  a  hundred  yards  away,  the 
only  persons  abroad  upon  the  narrow  lane, 
even  the  dogs  having  been  called  within  the 
courts. 

The  mother  was  pressing  the  child  to  her 
bosom,  and  the  two  girls  were  hurrying  after 
her  as  fast  as  their  feet  w^ould  carry  them,  all  In 
the  direction  of  greatest  danger. 

Chung  put  his  hand  to  his  mouth  and  gave  a 
shrill  whistle. 


64  CHINESE    HEROES 

They  turned  their  heads  as  they  hastened  on- 
ward, but  seeing  who  it  was  they  stopped.  Then 
a  motion  of  the  hand  and  they  came  toward  him 
and  he  to  them.  . 

"  This  direction,"  said  he,  as  he  took  the 
child. 

"  But  where  shall  we  go }  "  asked  his  wife  In 
alarm. 

"  We  must  go  toward  the  west.  The  east  side 
of  the  city  is  full  of  Boxers.  Our  only  safety  is 
in  the  west." 

They  passed  south  to  the  great  street  that 
leads  to  the  Drum  and  Bell  Towers,  and  fol- 
lowed this  till  they  came  to  Back  Gate  Street. 
Then  turning  down  Pipe  Street  and  passing 
Duck  Lane  they  crossed  a  small  bridge.  There 
was  a  cart  standing  here  and  Chung  stowed  the 
three  women  with  the  child  inside,  while  he 
"  hung  upon  the  shaft  "  beside  the  driver.  The 
carter  at  first  demurred  at  the  thought  of  draw- 
ing five  people,  but  as  Chung  appeared  to  be  a 
gentleman,  and  none  of  them  were  large,  and  as 
he  pointed  in  the  direction  the  carter  himself 
desired  to  go,  he  put  the  basket,  from  which  the 
mule  had  been  feeding,  in  its  place  under  the 
cart  and  drove  away. 

Smoke  was  ascending  from  the  smoldering 
ruins  of  two  of  the  missions  and  as  Chung  turned 
his  head  to  view  them  the  carter  remarked  : 

"  The  Boxers  are  burning  the  foreigners' 
places." 


CHILD-PRISONERS  65 

"  Yes,"  answered  Chung ;  "  where  are  they 
now  ?  " 

"  They  have  gone  to  burn  Second  Street." 

"  I  perceive  you  call  them  foreigners  ;  why  do 
you  not  call  them  'devils'?"  asked  Chung,  sur- 
mising that  the  carter  was  himself  a  Chris-, 
tian. 

"  I  do  not  call  them  'devils,'"  was  his  evasive 
answer. 

"  Do  you  know  any  of  these  foreigners } " 
Chung  inquired  further. 

"  They  have  ridden  in  my  cart  at  times,"  was 
his  reply.     "  Where  is  your  destination  }  " 

"  In  the  south-west,"  answered  Chung. 

They  each  suspected  the  other  was  a  Chris- 
tian, but  each  hesitated  to  tell ;  Chung  lest  the 
carter  would  refuse  to  draw  him  and  the  carter 
lest  Chung  might  be  an  official  who  would  put 
him  under  arrest. 

''  Where  is  your  home  ?"  Chung  asked,  think- 
ing that  thus  he  might  be  able  to  locate  him. 

"In  the  south-east,"  answered  the  carter. 

"  Where  is  your  honorable  residence?" 

"In  the  north,"  answered  Chung. 

Night  was  now  closing  in,  and  as  they  drove 
on  in  silence  they  could  see  the  sky  lit  up  in  the 
direction  of  Second  Street  and  Chung  knew  that 
their  home  was  being  looted  and  laid  in  ruins. 

They  had  had  nothing  to  eat  since  their  hur- 
ried morning  meal,  and  Chung  alighted  from 
the  cart  and  bought  a  handkerchief-full  of  eggs, 


66  CHINESE    HEROES 

cakes  and   doughnuts,  with  a  few   meat    dump- 
lings, which  he  gave  to  the  girls. 

When  they  arrived  at  Teacher  Liu's  Chung 
told  the  carter  to  wait  while  he  went  in  to  learn 
what  was  to  be  known. 

"  What  is  your  name  ? "  asked  the  carter, 
while  he  waited  for  the  gate  to  be  opened. 

"  Chung." 

"  Of  the  University.^" 

"  Yes." 

"  Ah,  I  thought  you  were  a  Christian,"  he 
muttered  to  himself  as  he  raised  the  mule's  har- 
ness to  ease  its  back. 

The  place  was  deserted,  and  as  Chang  mounted 
the  shaft  he  simply  said  : 

"To  the  Methodist  mission." 

"  That  is  where  I  wanted  to  go,"  remarked  the 
carter. 

V 

It  soon  proved  to  be  very  inconvenient  for 
Major  Li  to  have  K  ao-en  always  in  his  tent, 
and  he  began  to  look  about  for  some  convenient 
place  to  seclude  him. 

Outside  the  city  there  was  none.  Inside  he 
knew  not  what  danorer  migrht  befall  him,  but  if 
he  were  called  to  lead  his  soldiers  to  battle  he 
could  not  take  the  child  with  him,  nor  was  there 
any  safe  place  to  leave  him  unprotected  by  a 
guard.  He  therefore  concluded  to  send  him  into 
the  city,  to  his  temporary  residence,  allowing  him 
to  remain  there  until  the  present  trouble  was  past. 


CHILD-PRISONERS  67 

This  was  on  First  Street,  only  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  boy's  old  home. 

Again  and  again  during  the  following  weeks 
the  lad  requested  to  be  allowed  to  go  around  to 
Second  Street  and  see  if  his  parents  had  re- 
turned. There  were  boys  there  he  would  like 
to  play  with.  He  knew  a  mulberry  tree  the 
fruit  of  which  was  then  ripe.  There  were  a 
hundred  things  he  thought  of  during  the  few 
weeks  he  was  shut  up  in  this  small  court,  for  he 
was  not  allowed  to  go  upon  the  street. 

"  Get  K'ao-en  ready  at  once,"  said  a  messen- 
ger as  he  hurriedly  entered  the  gate  ;  "  he  is  to 
leave  here  immediately." 

"  What  is  the  matter  }  " 

"  Major  Li  has  been  wounded  and  has  leave 
to  return  home,  and  he  wishes  to  take  the  child 
with  him." 

"  Will  Kan-en  go  with  us  }  "  inquired  the  boy. 

"  Yes  ;  Colonel  Lo  has  concluded  to  send  him 
with  you,  and  has  placed  over  him  a  teacher  and 
a  guard  of  soldiers  who  are  ready  to  start  as 
soon  as  you  arrive." 

It  took  but  a  few  moments  to  get  the  child 
ready  and  they  were  soon  on  their  way.  Not 
far  from  tlie  gate  they  came  in  contact  with  the 
escort  of  the  Empress  Dowager  in  her  flight  to 
Hsi-an-fu  and  were  compelled  to  wait  until  the 
whole  cavalcade  had  passed.  They  continued 
their  journey  southward  and  after  three  days' 
bumping  over  rough  roads   in    an   August   sun 


68  CHINESE    HEROES 

they  arrived  at  Pao-ting-fu,  a  place  never  to  be 
forgotten  because  of  the  cruel  massacres  that 
had  just  been  perpetrated  there. 

Major  Li's  wound  required  attention  and  he 
was  sadly  in  need  of  rest.  The  news  he  brought 
from  the  capital  was  that  of  failure  on  the  part 
of  the  Boxers,  and  the  officials  trembled  from 
fear  of  what  the  result  would  be  when  their  own 
duplicity  and  cruelty  were  published  to  the 
world.  After  ten  days  of  rest  Major  Li  an- 
nounced his  Intention  of  continuing  his  journey 
home,  his  destination  being  Shan-tung,  and  he 
began  preparing  the  elder  brother  for  the  jour- 
ney. Kan-en  was  not  allowed  to  go  with  them. 
It  had  been  the  Instructions  of  Colonel  Lo  that 
he  should  remain  with  the  teacher  at  Pao-ting-fu 
until  he  could  come  from  Peking  to  take  the 
child  with  him  to  his  home  in  Shan-si. 

It  was  a  hard  blow  to  the  boys  to  think  of 
being  thus  widely  separated  from  each  other. 
Major  Li  would  gladly  have  taken  with  him  the 
little  fellow  he  had  been  compelled  so  reluc- 
tantly to  part  with,  but  he  dare  not  do  so.  He 
had  no  more  riorht  to  him  than  had  Colonel  Lo. 

The  children  clasped  each  other  about  the 
neck,  took  fast  hold  of  their  short  queues,  and 
wept  bitterly.  They  had  never  been  separated 
before  except  the  few  weeks  at  Peking.  They 
were  without  father,  mother  or  sisters,  and  they 
pleaded  to  be  allowed  to  go  together.  Major 
Li  and    the   teacher   tried  to    comfort  them  by 


CHILD-PRISONERS 


69 


offering  them  money.  They  would  buy  them 
candy,  fruit,  nuts,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  They 
finally  threatened  punishment,  and  as  a  last  re- 
sort they  were  compelled  to  separate  them  by 
force.  The  scene  would  have  been  ludicrous  if 
it  had  not  been  sad.  In  their  efforts  to  sepa- 
rate the  two  children  they  clung  the  more  tena- 
ciously to  each  other's  queues,  the  elder  all  the 
time  calling  to  the  younger,  "Kick 
him,  Kan-en  !  kick  him,  Kan-en  !  " 
while  Kan-en  through  his  tears 
was  sobbing,  "  Hold  fast  to  my 
queue,  brother  ;  do  not  let  go." 

But  the  major  and  the  teacher 
were  too  strong  for  them  and 
they  were  finally  separated,  K'ao- 
en  to  go  with  the  major  to  Shan- 
tung and  Kan-en  to  remain  with 
the  teacher  at  Pao-ting-fu  until 
Colonel  Lo  should  come  to  take 
him  to  Shan-si,  never  perhaps  to 
see  his  elder  brother  again.  cKvmg  Kan-en 

When  the  children  were  finally  separated  they 
dried  their  tears  and  submitted  without  a  mur- 
mur. They  had  fought  valiantly,  they  had  been 
overcome  not  by  numbers  but  by  force,  and  they 
submitted  at  once  as  prisoners  of  war.  As 
Major  Li  was  about  to  start  with  the  eider  he 
remarked  to  the  teacher : 

"If  we  had  an  army  like  these  we  would  not 
have  been  defeated  by  the  'foreign  devils,'"  for- 


70  CHINESE    HEROES 

getting,  it  is  to  be  feared,  that  there  was  "  foreign 
devil"  in  the  boys,  and  with  this  he  drove  away, 
the  boys  the  while  shouting  good-byes  to  each 
other. 

"  Come,  Kan-en,"  said  the  teacher  after  the 
others  had  departed,  "you  must  begin  your 
studies  now.  Colonel  Lo  expects  you  to  be  a 
great  general  some  day,  when  you  are  grown 
up. 

"  I  do  not  want  to  be  a  great  general." 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

"Would  I  not  have  to  kill  people  .f^  " 

"  Yes,  I   suppose  so." 

"  Well,  I  do  not  want  to  kill  folks." 

"  What  would  you  like  to  be,  then,  if  not  a 
ofeneral  ?  " 

"  What  can  you  be  if  you  do  not  study  .'^" 

The  teacher  understood  the  import  of  this 
question  and  w^as  ready  with  a  proper  answer: 

"  You  will  have  to  be  a  beggar  or  a  coolie." 

Kan-en  thought  for  a  moment,  heaved  a  sigh, 
and  went  at  once  to  his  books. 

There  were  times,  however,  when,  either  be- 
cause of  the  heat  or  because  of  that  disposition 
natural  to  the  average  small  boy,  and  Kan-en 
was  a  very  natural  small  boy,  he  wished  that 
books  had  never  been  invented.  It  was  at  such 
times  the  teacher  said,  "  Kan-en,  if  you  do  not 
be  a  good  boy  and  study  we  will  throw  you 
away." 

Nothing  the  teacher  could  have  said,  nothing 


CHILD-PRISONERS  71 

he  taught  him  during  those  months,  made  such 
an  impress  on  that  homeless,  lonely  child.  That 
is  the  one  thing  he  learned  which  he  will  prob- 
ably never  forget. 

When  Colonel  Lo  came  he  took  the  boy  and 
his  teacher  with  him  to  Shan-si.  For  months 
they  wandered  from  place  to  place,  living  in  inns 
or  soldiers'  tents.  Kan-en  was  kept  at  his  studies, 
clothed  like  a  little  prince,  and  given  everything 
that  was  calculated  to  entertain  a  lonely  child 
during  play  hours  and  win  his  affection  for  a  new 
parent.  After  some  months,  orders  came  for  the 
colonel  to  go  to  Shan-tung. 

"  Do  you  suppose  we  will  see  K  ao-en  there  7  " 
asked  the  child,  as  they  traveled  over  the  long, 
lonely,  rocky  road. 

''  Perhaps  so,"  answered  the  teacher. 

VI 

For  some  days  after  Chung  and  his  family 
arrived  at  the  Methodist  mission  they  saw  ter- 
rible sights. 

Scarcely  an  hour  passed  that  did  not  wit- 
ness the  arrival  of  the  remnant  of  some  family. 
Parents  came  without  children  and  children 
without  parents,  husbands  without  wives  and 
wives  without  husbands,  some  having  witnessed 
the  massacre  of  their  loved  ones,  others  wholly 
ignorant  of  their  fate.  Mr.  Wang  with  his  son 
and  youngest  daughter  had  come  to  the  mission 
and  he  and  Chung  tried  to  go  in  search  of  the 


72  CHINESE    HEROES 

other  members  of  their  families,  but  it  would 
have  been  to  no  purpose;  it  only  meant  the  risk 
of  their  own  lives.  The  sufferings  of  the  follow- 
ing eight  weeks  during  the  siege  in  Peking  have 
often  been  described,  but  none  but  those  who 
endured  them  can  know  what  they  were. 

When  the  Allies  arrived,  and  the  besieged 
were  once  more  free,  their  first  quest  was  for 
those  they  had  lost. 

Chung  discovered  that  his  father  had  been 
massacred  while  urging  the  Boxers  to  cease 
their  bloody  work  and  endeavoring  to  protect 
Mr.  Wangs  family  from  a  fate  too  awful  for  de- 
scription. Of  his  boys,  however,  he  could  learn 
nothing.  Yes,  they  had  been  seen,  but  no  one 
knew  whether  they  were  alive  or  dead. 

Hope  springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast. 

Chung  instituted  a  search  in  every  direction. 
He  sent  letters  to  distant  places,  until  even 
Major  Li,  in  far-away  Shan-tung,  heard  that  he 
was  alive  and  searching  for  his  boys,  and  he  at 
once  wrote  the  following  letter* 

"Dear  Mr.  Chung: 

"Your  boys  are  both  safe  in  Chi-nan-fu.  They 
will  wait  here  until  you  come. 

"  Respectfully, 

"  Li  Tien-wen." 

Chung  sent  a  telegram. 

The  following  day  he  sent  a  letter. 


CHILD-PRISONERS  73 

The  third  day  he  went  himself.  He  was  the 
first  to  arrive. 

The  next  day  the  letter  came. 

Four  days  later  the  telegram  arrived. 

Such  is  the  condition  of  the  rapid  transit  facil- 
ities of  the  Middle  Kingfdom. 

Major  Li  and  Colonel  Lo  delivered  his  chil- 
dren to  him  safe  and  sound,  gave  him  written 
certificates  of  their  friendship,  and,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  his  father,  they  are  once  more  a 
united  and  happy  family.  Meanwhile  the  boxes 
— packed  so  securely  and  sent  to  friends  for  safe 
keeping — escaped  the  vigilance  of  the  Boxers 
but  only  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Allies,  who 
helped  themselves  to  what  suited  their  fancy. 


74  CHINESE  HEROES 


A  CHINESE  PASTOR'S  NARRATIVE 

Rev.  Te  Jui,  presiding  elder  of  the  Shan  Hai 
Kuan  district,  tells  of  his  experiences  during  the 
Boxer  outbreak  as  follows: 

On  the  4th  of  the  5th  moon  (June  3,  1900), 
the  North  China  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  was  held  in  Peking.  The 
Boxer    societies   were    oro^anized   at    an    earlier 

o 

date,  and  the  rumor  was  spread  throughout  the 
country  that  their  object  was  to  exterminate  all 
foreicrners  as  well  as  native  Christians. 

While  Conference  was  in  session  a  messenger 
came  from  the  south  of  Peking  telling  us  that 
some  of  our  chapels  had  been  destroyed  and 
many  of  the  Christians  killed.  We  were  shocked 
by  the  startling  news,  but  supposed  the  insurrec- 
tion would  soon  be  put  down  and  therefore  give 
but  little  trouble.  To  our  surprise  it  gained 
ground  day  by  day,  until  every  town  and  village 
was  full  of  Boxers. 

When  Conference  closed  we  hired  carts,  in- 
tending to  return  to  our  stations,  but  the  Peking 
and  Tientsin  railway  was  already  partly  de- 
stroyed and  we  decided  to  stop  in  inns  close  to 
the  depot  until  the  road  was  repaired.  To  our 
great  disappointment  this  was  not  done,  and  we 


Mr.  arxd  Mrs.  Te  and  tHeir  Da^ij^jh'ter^ 


A  PASTOR'S  NARRATIVE  77 

were  forced  to  return  to  the  mission  compound. 
On  every  street  corner  we  heard  the  people 
talking  about  killing  all  the  foreigners  and 
native  Christians,  whereupon  I  concluded  that 
Peking  would  not  be  a  safe  place  if  the  Boxers 
succeeded  in  effecting  an  entrance,  and  I  con- 
templated going  to  T'ang  Shan  by  cart  and 
thence  to  Shan  Hal  Kuan  by  rail. 

On  the  13th  of  the  5th  moon  (June  12)  I 
left  Peking  for  T'ang  Shan  (four  and  a  half 
days' journey)  but  found  the  inns  so  filled  with 
Imperial  troops  that  I  was  forced  to  turn  aside 
and  spend  the  nights  in  the  seclusion  of  grave- 
yards. Boxers  filled  every  village  through  which 
I  passed,  and  I  cannot  but  feel  that  it  was  be- 
cause of  the  Lord's  protection  that  I  reached 
Shan  Hal  Kuan  in  safety, — to  Whom  be  all 
thanks! 

The  local  official,  being  newly  appointed  and 
having  been  requested  by  his  predecessor  to  pro- 
tect me,  often  inquired  for  my  welfare.  Ten 
days  after  my  arrival  the  Boxers,  headed  by  a 
tinsmith,  Tuan  Yl-li,  arose  and  were  joined  by 
eight  hundred  young  Manchu  soldiers.  They 
Intended  to  burn  our  chapel  and  put  us  to  death, 
but  I  hastened  to  the  official  and  consulted  as  to 
what  steps  should  be  taken,  and  he  suggested 
that  the  best  way  to  protect  the  chapel  was  to 
turn  It  into  a  police  station,  which  he  did. 

About  noon  a  few  days  later  the  Boxers 
thronged  the  street,  yelling,  "  Burn  the  chapel! 


78  CHINESE    HEROES 

Burn  the  chapel !  "  I  opened  the  gate  for  them, 
but  they  dared  not  enter,  as  our  men  outnum- 
bered theirs.  I  sent  word  to  the  official  but  un- 
fortunately he  was  absent.  A  few  of  the  yamen 
runners  came,  however,  to  guard  the  premises, 
but  remained  only  a  day  or  two.  The  official 
soon  returned,  brin^incr  the  startlincr  news  that 
the  German  Minister  had  been  massacred,  and 
he  advised  me  to  close  up  the  place  and  leave  as 
soon  as  possible,  remarking  that  if  the  Powers 
should  conquer  China  the  chapel  would  be  ours, 
but  if  China  was  successful  we  Christians  would 
likely  all  be  put  to  death. 

He  expressed  his  willingness  to  hire  carts  for 
us  to  go  to  Peking,  and  after  he  left  we  packed 
our  things  preparatory  to  leaving  in  case  of 
emergency.  We  remained  a  few  days,  however, 
to  see  what  would  happen. 

On  the  3rd  of  the  6th  moon  (July  2)  the 
Boxers  captured  Wang  P'u,  one  of  our  Chris- 
tians, and  it  was  rumored  that  they  would  burn 
our  chapel  at  midnight.  We  waited  for  them 
until  daybreak  but  they  did  not  come.  We 
judged  that  there  would  be  an  uprising  in  the 
near  future  and  thought  it  the  part  of  wisdom 
to  hide  ourselves  in  the  home  of  a  church  mem- 
ber outside  the  Great  Wall. 

The  next  day  we  turned  the  chapel  over  to 
the  official,  and  the  following  day  the  Boxers 
killed  Wang  P'u  and  two  other  Christians  named 
Pal,  a  father  and  his  son.     Four  days  later  the 


A  PASTOR'S  NARRATIVE  79 

chapel  was  looted  and  demolished,  at  which  time 
we  were  refugees  at  Neu  Yang  Kou,  seventeen 
miles  from  Shan  Hai  Kuan,  lodging  with  a  Chris- 
tian named  Tai  Cheng-en. 

Many  of  the  people  of  Shan  Hai  Kuan  knew 
of  my  whereabouts  and  wanted  to  capture  me. 
I  therefore  remained  with  Mr.  Tai  but  two  days, 
during  which  time  I  received  word  that  the 
Boxers  were  searching  for  me.  I  went  farther 
north,  to  a  village  called  Yung  An  Tien,  taking 
refuge  in  the  home  of  a  Mr.  Hsu.  As  it  was 
against  the  rule  of  the  village  to  lodge  strangers 
I  was  compelled  to  go  to  Li  Mu  Chang,  where 
I  remained  three  days  at  the  home  of  one  Shang 
Chin. 

News  came  from  Shan  Hai  Kuan  that  a  re- 
ward of  one  hundred  ounces  of  silver  was  offered 
for  me.  It  was  soon  revealed  to  them  that  I  was 
at  Li  Mu  Chang,  and  a  delegation  of  Boxers 
and  soldiers  came  to  search  for  me.  The  way 
of  escape  now  seemed  dark,  and  on  the  iith  I 
was  compelled,  with  much  reluctance,  to  separate 
from  my  family,  thinking,  as  we  all  did,  that  this 
was  the  only  chance  for  safety  either  for  me  or 
them.  This  was  the  most  painful  of  all  my  ex- 
periences, and  during  all  those  days  of  hunger, 
thirst,  pain  and  weariness  my  eyes  turned  with 
hope  mingled  with  despair  to  the  place  where  I 
had  left  my  wife.  I  took  with  me  Tseng  Kuo- 
chih,  a  graduate  of  the  Peking  University  and 
pastor    of  the    Shan    Hai    Kuan    church.     We 


80  CHINESE    HEROES 

started  at  once  for  Ch'ou  Yang  outside  the 
Great  Wall,  traveling  thirty-five  miles  the  first 
day  without  meeting  friend  or  acquaintance.  In 
order  the  better  to  protect  ourselves  we  pur- 
chased common  blue  cloth  garments  and  large 
straw  hats,  such  as  are  worn  by  coolies,  and,  sub- 
stituting these  for  what  we  had  on,  we  buried 
the  latter  in  a  hole  which  we  scooped  out  beside 
the  road. 

Every    place  through    which  we  passed  was 

filled  with  Boxers  who  talked  of  arresting  those 

^m^  whom  they  accused  of  "polson- 

^^SA  ing   the  wells,"  and  we  after- 

(F^^»         wards  learned  that  thousands 

^^J^  of  Innocent    people  were   put 

^^mm^^^^      l-Q  death.    On  the  way  we  were 

ii^^^^^^lp      Informed   that   there  were   so 

v^^^^HV      many  robbers  outside  the  Wall 

'■^^^^1^        that  few  people  possessed  the 

Tseng  nxao-cHiH      Herve  to  travel  there.       Five 

(-Peter  Durst)  ^^^^    ^^    ^^^|^.     '^^     ^    ^^^^^      ^^^ 

we  thought  of  going  to  Ying  K'ou,  whence  we 
could  sail  for  Shanghai  where  our  lives  would 
be  safe. 

We  took  the  train  for  Chung  Hou  So  and 
found  the  cars  filled  with  Boxers  who  got  off  at 
the  same  place  we  did.  A  heavy  rain  began  to 
fall,  and  being  without  a  place  to  lodge,  as  all 
the  inns  were  filled  with  Boxers  and  soldiers,  we 
decided  to  return  to  Shan  Hal  Kuan,  but  feared 
to  go  directly  lest  we  should  meet  acquaintances. 


A  PASTOR'S  NARRATIVE  81 

We  took  train  but  got  off  at  a  station  thirteen 
miles  from  the  city,  intending  first  to  go  to  the 
home  of  a  Christian  in  the  north. 

Night  came  upon  us  just  before  we  entered 
the  town,  and  a  man  emerging  from  a  cornfield 
recognized  my  companion,  Mr.  Tseng,  and  as 
he  was  a  probationer  he  addressed  us  in  an 
undertone. 

"Where  are  you  going.?"  he  Inquired. 

"  To  the  home  of  Mr.  Pal,  in  the  next  town." 

"The  men  who  are  searching  for  you  are  lying 
in  wait  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Pal." 

Once  more  we  thanked  God  for  his  message 
of  protection. 

We  hurried  on  a  little  further  north  and  spent 
the  night  In  a  cave.  We  wanted  to  go  to  the 
North  Mountains  but  did  not  know  the  way, 
nor  could  we  hire  a  man  to  take  us,  and  as  the 
villagers  knew  we  had  been  here  we  thought  it 
not  safe  to  remain  lest  they  search  us  out  and 
hand  us  over  to  the  Boxers. 

We  left  the  cave  for  some  safer  dwelling  place, 
but  as  we  had  had  nothing  to  eat  for  two  days 
we  were  getting  faint.  We  made  an  effort  to  go 
on,  hoping  to  find  some  hole  in  which  to  hide 
ourselves,  but,  alas  !  we  did  not  know  which  road 
to  take.  We  started  toward  Chin  Men  Kuan, 
but  a  Christian  overtook  us  telling  us  not  to  go 
that  road,  as  the  Manchu  soldiers  were  guarding 
the  gate.  He  advised  us  to  go  by  the  Yellow 
Mountain  Top. 


82  CHINESE    HEROES 

The  path  was  rocky  and  irregular ;  we  had 
blisters  on  our  feet;  we  suffered  both  from  hun- 
ger and  thirst ;  yet  we  dared  not  approach  a 
spring  lest  we  be  arrested  on  the  charge  of  "  pois- 
oning the  wells." 

We  passed  a  graveyard  where  there  were 
about  a  dozen  men  lying  around,  but  we  were 
not  noticed.  We  had  gone  but  a  few  hundred 
yards  when  we  were  asked  by  a  stranger  if  we 
had  seen  a  body  of  men  from  Shan  Hai  Kuan 
who  were  in  search  of  Christians.  We  replied 
that  we  knew  nothing  about  them,  but  as  we 
passed  on  we  were  convinced  that  he  referred 
to  the  company  we  had  just  noticed,  and  we 
thanked  God  for  his  protection. 

Toward  nightfall  we  arrived  at  Chin  Kuan, 
but  it  was  so  dark  that  we  knew  not  where  to 
go.  We  inquired  of  an  old  man  if  there  was  an 
inn  in  the  place.  He  replied  that  there  was  one, 
but  that  it  had  been  closed  the  day  before  lest 
Christians  should  stop  there,  which  if  Boxers 
discovered  they  would  burn  the  building.  We 
begged  him  to  take  us  in  for  the  night  and 
finally  he  consented  to  do  so,  taking  us  to  his 
home,  where  he  gave  us  a  good  supper.  The 
village  was  Ho  Chia  Chuang,  and  the  old  man 
we  learned  afterwards  was  the  proprietor  of  the 
inn. 

The  people  here  informed  us  that  the  Boxers 
had  burned  the  churches  at  Shih  Men  Chai  and 
Huang  T  u   Ying,  and  had   killed   a   Christian 


A  PASTOR'S  NARRATIVE  83 

named  Chiang  Tung.  Having  heard  this  we 
started  on  toward  Hal  Yang  Chun,  intending  to 
discover  if  possible  whether  our  Christians  had 
moved  away  or  if  they  were  still  there.  We  met 
no  one  by  the  way,  we  could  buy  no  food  in  the 
mountains,  and  our  feet  were  so  blistered  that 
we  could  walk  no  further.  Happily  two  camel 
drivers  offered  to  carry  us  to  the  village  for 
thirty  cents.  They  first  took  us  to  their  home 
and  gave  us  food,  and  once  more  we  thanked 
God  "  for  a  good  square  meal."  We  then  con- 
tinued on  our  way  toward  the  foot  of  the  North 
Mountains  to  see  a  Christian  named  Li  Chii. 
We  say  Christian,  though  he  was  such  a  poor 
representative  of  the  faith  he  professed  that  the 
Boxers  never  thought  it  worth  while  to  arrest 
him,  as  he  was  always  ready  for  a  fight.  He 
took  us  in  at  once  and  entertained  us  for  sev- 
eral days.  His  place  being  so  near  Shan  Hal 
Kuan  we  feared  it  would  not  be  safe  to  remain 
there  and  we  went  farther  north,  where  we  lived 
in  a  cave  over  the  mouth  of  which  the  grass  and 
weeds  were  so  dense  as  to  shield  It  from  view. 
In  this  cave  was  a  small  pool  from  which  we 
drank,  and  Li  Chu  brought  us  rice  cakes  each 
night  at  midnight.  One  day  a  man  gathering 
fuel  cut  the  grass  all  about  us  and  I  prayed,  as 
I  watched  him,  that  he  might  not  discover  our 
hiding-place.  He  kept  cutting  closer  and  closer 
until  it  seemed  that  he  must  soon  take  away  our 
screen.    Just  before  he  came  to  the  cave,  how- 


84  CHINESE    HEROES 

ever,  he  gathered  up  his  bundles  of  fuel  and  went 
home. 

This  led  us  to  fear  that  we  might  be  dis- 
covered if  we  remained  there,  and  so  we  washed 
our  faces  in  the  little  water  that  was  left,  the 
first  time  we  had  had  water  to  use  for  toilet 
purposes  In  several  days,  and  returned  to  Li 
Chu  s.  For  a  month  we  slept  In  his  house  at 
night  and  hid  in  the  cornfields  by  day.  Here 
we  were  in  almost  equal  danger,  for  it  was  with 
the  greatest  dif^culty  we  kept  him  from  using  a 
hatchet  on  the  Boxers  whenever  they  came  to 
search  his  house.  Our  only  prevailing  argu- 
ment was  that  our  lives  depended  upon  his 
controlling  his  temper,  an  argument  we  were 
forced  to  repeat  every  night  In  order  to  secure 
his  submission. 

There  was  no  communication  between  here 
and  Peking  or  Tien-tsin,  nor  did  we  have  any 
idea  as  to  what  was  happening  at  the  latter 
places.  As  It  seemed  unsafe  to  remain  longer 
at  LI  Chii's  we  said  to  ourselves,  "  Whatever 
happens  we  will  go  to  Lan  Chou."  But  we 
dared  not  go  by  rail  lest  we  meet  acquaintances 
on  the  train.  Another  heavy  rain  began  to  fall 
which  left  the  roads  in  a  bad  condition  ;  and 
though  .  the  cities  and  villages  were  crowded 
with  Boxers  we  made  our  way  with  much  diffi- 
culty to  Lan  Chou.  Here  we  took  the  train 
for  T'ang  Shan,  where,  as  we  stepped  upon 
the  platform,  we  met   Mr.  Wang  Mao-yin,  who 


A  PASTOR'S  NARRATIVE  86 

informed  us  that  he  had  seen  our  wives  and  chil- 
dren with  Dr.  Wang  Hsiang-ho  at  the  Mining 
Company's  Hospital.  You  can  imagine  our  joy 
on  the  reception  of  such  a  message.  We  went 
to  the  hospital  without  delay,  where  we  found 
our  families,  whom  we  had  almost  given  up  hope 
of  ever  seeing  again,  as  it  had  been  two  months 
since  we  had  separated  at  Li  Mu  Chang.  God  had 
brought  us  together  once  more  and  we  thanked 
him  for  his  goodness.  I  asked  my  wife  how  she 
had  gotten  there  and  she  told  me  the  following 
story  : 

MRS.  TE'S  STORY 

After  you  left  us  at  Li  Mu  Ch'ang  a  letter 
came  from  Shan  Hai  Kuan  to  the  effect  that 
the  church  there  had  been  destroyed  and  three 
Christians  murdered.  When  we  heard  this  we 
trembled  with  fear,  knowing  not  what  to  do. 
Things  having  come  to  this  pass  we  concluded 
that  we  would  have  to  flee  to  a  distance ;  but  as 
a  dog  had  bitten  my  foot  I  found  it  difficult  to 
walk,  and  as  there  was  no  place  to  go,  and  no 
one  to  receive  us,  we  had  to  possess  ourselves 
with  patience. 

On  the  13th  of  the  6th  moon  (July  12)  sev- 
eral  scores  of  soldiers  and  Boxers,  well  armed, 
came  to  Li  Mu  Ch'ang  and  took  us  prisoners, 
binding  my  daughter  and  the  wife  of  Tseng 
Kuo-chih,  intending  to  kill  them,  saying  at  the 
same  time  that  my  husband  must  be  produced 
and   that  we  must   deliver  over  all  our  money. 


86  CHINESE    HEROES 

They  took  a  large  knife  to  behead  me  but  finally 
decided  not  to  do  so.  Though  I  begged  them 
with  tears  they  would  not  release  us,  but  with 
my  wounded  foot  they  compelled  us  to  walk  to 
Yung  An  P'u.  When  we  had  arrived  within  a 
short  distance  of  the  village  we  plead  to  be  re- 
leased, promising  them  twenty-five  dollars  if 
they  would  let  us  go.  This  offer  they  refused, 
but  stripping  us  of  all  we  had  they  told  us  to 
flee  for  our  lives  or  others  would  come  and 
arrest  us.  This  we  essayed  to  do,  but  it  was 
no  easy  task.  My  daughter  was  but  seventeen 
years  of  age,  and  Mr.  Tseng's  young  wife  had 
their  young  babe,  a  child  of  three  months,  in 
her  arms.  We  first  hid  in  a  cave  in  the  moun- 
tains, knowing  that  it  was  a  dangerous  place 
to  be,  for  only  refugee  women  would  resort  to 
such  surroundings  ;  besides  there  was  no  place 
to  go  to  buy  food  and  we  almost  perished  with 
hunger. 

One  night  we  went  to  a  village  (Nan  Ts'ung 
P'i)  where  we  met  a  blacksmith  with  a  large 
knife  in  his  hand,  and  seeing  our  condition  he 
thought  to  injure  us.  We  hurried  on  but  he 
followed  for  a  distance  of  at  least  two  miles.  We 
hid  ourselves  in  a  mountain  gorge,  where  it 
seemed  as  if  no  one  had  ever  been  before,  and 
thus  finally  escaped  him.  The  following  morn- 
ing at  daybreak  we  went  to  another  village  and 
begged  for  something  to  eat,  as  we  had  had 
nothing  for  two  days  and  we  were  weak  with 


A  PASTOR'S  NARRATIVE  87 

hunger.  Thence  we  went  to  Wang  Chia 
Chiang,  where  we  dwelt  in  the  mountains  five 
days  with  nowhere  to  go  for  food. 

We  sent  a  letter  to  Shih  Ho,  to  a  Chris- 
tian, telling  him  of  our  difficulties  and  dangers 
and  asking  him  if  possible  to  bring  relief  He 
sent  a  man  with  two  carts  to  take  us  to  his 
village  where  we  remained  a  week  or  more. 
A  man  came  to  arrest  us,  but  we  fled  during 
the  night  and  thus  escaped  under  cover  of 
darkness. 

In  our  flight  we  were  surrounded  by  a  crowd 
of  people  who  came  with  knives  and  clubs  to 
carry  off  my  daughter ;  but  a  man  named  Sun, 
moved  by  the  wickedness  of  their  conduct  and 
intentions,  gathered  about  him  a  company  of 
well-minded  people  who  protected  us  from  this 
danger,  conducting  us  to  a  place  where  we  hid 
for  a  fortnight.  The  cursing  and  persecution, 
the  insults  and  abuse,  which  were  heaped  upon 
us  during  these  days  neither  tongue  nor  pen 
could  picture  nor  describe. 

When  every  door  seemed  closed  against  us  a 
man  named  Chu,  who  was  in  no  way  connected 
with  the  church  or  with  foreigners,  out  of  pure 
sympathy  for  us  in  our  destitution  risked  his 
own  life  to  take  us  back  to  Shan  Hai  Kuan, 
where  he  hoped  our  lives  would  be  safe.  We 
knew  we  were  between  two  fires.  We  could  not 
long  remain  thus,  going  about  the  country  suffer- 
ing all  sorts  of  obloquy,  and  perhaps  finally  be- 


88  CHINESE    HEROES 

ing  outraged  or  put  to  death,  if  indeed  we  did 
not  starve.  To  go  backward  or  forward  seemed 
alike  perilous,  but  after  long  consultation  we  de- 
cided to  take  a  large  cart  and  return  to  the  city, 
though  we  knew  not  what  would  befall  us.  To 
those  whom  we  recognized  on  the  way  we 
appeared  as  strangers.  We  remained  one  night 
in  the  greatest  fear,  but  were  so  exhausted  that 
we  slept,  and  received  no  injury.  The  following 
day  we  came  to  T'ang  Shan,  where  we  have 
been  living  with  Dr  Wang  in  the  hospital,  and 
where  we  have  had  rest  and  peace  until  the 
present  moment. 


When  my  wife  had  finished  her  story  I  could 
but  feel  that  what  I  had  suffered  was  not  worth 
mentioning  in  comparison  with  the  nervous 
strain  imposed  upon  herself,  Mrs.  Tseng  and  my 
daughter,  and  I  said  as  much  to  her. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  she  replied  ;  "  there  will  be  all 
grades  and  shades  of  suffering  during  these 
persecutions." 

As  she  spoke  the  wife  of  another  of  our  young 
preachers  stepped  into  the  room,  having  heard 
of  our  arrival,  and  my  wife  asked  her  to  tell  us 
her  story,  "  which,"  she  said  to  me,  "  is  much 
more  touching  than  my  own." 

Mrs.  Chou,  for  that  is  her  name,  after  some 
urging  on  our  part  and  some  tears  on  her  own, 
related  her  experience  as  follows : 


Mrs.  CHo-u  and  Patnily 


A  PASTOR'S  NARRATIVE  91 

MRS.  CHOU'S  STORY 

When  the  Boxer  troubles  began  my  husband 
was  stationed  at  Mi  Yun  Hsien,  about  forty 
miles  north-east  of  Peking.  We  had  five  chil- 
dren, the  youngest  of  whom  was  but  twenty 
days  old,  and  as  we  knew  not  what  was  best  to 
be  done  we  wrote  to  our  presiding  elder  asking 
him  what  we  would  better  do. 

He  answered,  "  If  you  can  come  to  Peking  I 
will  receive  you  with  pleasure,  but  if  you  cannot 
come  you  would  better  flee  at  once." 

Acting  upon  this  suggestion  we  left  all  we  had, 
except  such  things  as  we  could  easily  carry,  and 
left  our  home  for  we  knew  not  where  and  we 
knew  not  what.  We  spent  a  day  and  a  night  in 
the  open  desert  place,  hungry  and  thirsty,  and 
for  four  hours  begged  for  food  but  no  one  would 
help  us  because,  as  they  said,  we  were  "  rubbers 
of  red  and  buriers  of  medicine,"*  and  they  or- 
dered that  the  village  bell  be  rung,  wishing  at 
the  same  time  to  bind  us  and  send  us  back  to 
Mi  Yun  Hsien  for  punishment.  We  begged 
them  with  tears  not  to  do  so,  and  offered  them 
money  if  only  they  would  give  us  water  to 
quench  our  thirst  and  asked  to  be  allowed  to 
remain  on  the  street  and  rest  awhile,  but  they 
drove  us  from  the  village. 

We  were  without  hum.an  aid  and  so  we 
prayed  that  the  Lord  would  open  a  way,  while 

*  See  p.  I02, 


92  CHINESE    HEROES      . 

we  also  begged  a  donkey  driver  to  take  us  out- 
side the  Great  Wall.  The  roads  were  bad,  he 
said,  they  had  no  feed  for  their  donkeys  and 
feared  they  would  starve,  and  he  added  that  no 
matter  how  much  money  we  offered  them  they 
would  not  go.  They  pitied  us,  and  especially  the 
children,  and  offered  to  take  us  back  to  MI  Yun 
Hsien  and  we  finally  consented  to  go.  When 
we  were  yet  seven  miles  from  the  city,  weary 
and  worn,  we  begged  of  a  home  that  they  would 
take  us  In  for  a  while.  At  first  they  refused,  but 
when  we  gave  them  money  they  relented  and 
allowed  us  to  remain  half  a  day. 

We  then  went  to  the  home  of  a  relative  of  one 
of  the  Christians  In  a  mountain  q-qvctq  and  asked 
to  stay  there,  and  as  he  was  a  good  man  he  re- 
ceived us  with  pleasure  and  treated  us  kindly, 
and  as  they  were  poor  we  paid  them  for  their 
hospitality  and  remained  with  them  three  days. 
Three  times  the  village  rabble  came  to  arrest  us 
on  the  ground  that  we  were  "  rubbers  of  red 
and  buriers  of  medicine." 

We  wished  for  death,  but  death  does  not  come 
for  the  wishing.  They  arrested  us  and  were 
about  to  take  us  before  the  official ;  nor  would 
they  release  us  until  we  had  given  them  thirty- 
one  ounces  of  silver,  after  which  they  drove  us 
out  to  the  caves  and  gorges  In  the  mountains 
where  we  once  more  felt  the  pangs  of  hunger 
and  thirst.  The  children  cried  all  day,  and  this 
was  harder  to  endure  than  our  own  hunofer.     At 


A  PASTOR'S  NARRATIVE  93 

night  we  returned  to  the  home  of  a  Christian 
one  mile  from  the  city,  where  we  lived  two  days. 
The  people  came  at  night  to  take  us  and  the 
good  people  of  the  town  urged  that  we  return 
to  our  own  home  village,  saying  that  if  we  re- 
fused to  do  so  they  could  not  be  surety  for  our 
lives. 

We  hired  a  cart  and  at  night  started  on  our 
way.  When  we  arrived  at  Chi  Chou  the  Boxers 
stopped  us,  saying  that  we  were  deceivers  and 
that  the  children  were  stolen,  and  not  our  own, 
and  they  took  us  before  the  headman  for  exam- 
ination. The  Lord  was  by  our  side  and  we  did 
not  fear.  In  their  examination  they  obtained  no 
evidence,  and  when  they  saw  we  were  not  afraid 
they  concluded  that  we  were  not  bad  people  and 
set  us  free.  Thence  we  went  to  Wu  Men.  The 
carter  had  been  very  much  frightened  at  Chi 
Chou,  and  as  he  refused  to  po  farther  we  hired 
two  donkeys  and  continued  on  our  way. 

We  passed  through  P'ing  An  Ch'eng,  where 
the  Boxers  had  burned  the  church  and  where 
later  the  Christians  from  that  whole  region  were 
taken  to  be  slaughtered.  When  we  saw  the  dis- 
turbed condition  of  the  city  we  thought  it  not 
best  to  stop  at  the  Inn,  but  rested  on  the  street 
for  a  few  moments  while  we  ate -a  bite  from  the 
stall  of  a  traveling  restaurant.  Thence  we  went 
to  Kung  LI,  to  the  home  of  a  relative  who  al- 
lowed us  to  remain  one  night  but  drove  us  out 
in   the  morning,  and  we  hid  in  the  mountains. 


94  CHINESE    HEROES 

The  Boxers  with  their  long  knives  went  to  search 
the  mountains,  hoping  to  kill  us,  and  as  we  could 
find  no  good  hiding  place  I  took  the  five  chil- 
dren and  went  down  the  mountain  side  leaving 
my  husband  there  alone.  I  hid  in  the  village, 
but  as  the  church  and  homes  of  all  the  Chris- 
tians had  been  destroyed  it  was  truly  pitiful. 
That  day  the  Boxers  gathered  in  force  in  the 
village  and  captured  two  of  the  Christians,  whom 
they  carried  off  to  P'ing  An  Ch  eng  to  kill  and 
burn. 

Seeing  that  things  were  so  bad  I  took  the 
children  to  a  desert  place,  and  when  it  was  night 
and  there  was  none  to  see  I  returned  to  the  vil- 
lage. The  people  feared  I  would  be  killed  and 
so  urged  me  to  leave,  and  in  cover  of  the  dark- 
ness I  fled  to  the  South  Mountains.  They  were 
treeless,  and  the  heat  was  intense,  and  as  I  was 
without  food  or  drink,  with  five  children,  the  eld- 
est of  whom  was  but  ten  years  and  the  youngest 
little  more  than  a  month,  they  all  wept  bitterly 
and  wanted  to  return  to  the  village.  I  yielded 
to  their  entreaties,  but  when  the  villagers  saw 
me  they  begged  me  to  leave,  saying  that  the 
Boxers  were  seeking  all  newcomers,  and  as  they 
did  not  want  to  see  me  killed  they  urged  me 
to  go.    . 

It  was  late,  the  children  were  tired  and  sleepy, 
and  I  could  not  move.  When  they  saw  how  im- 
possible it  was  for  me  to  go  anywhere  with  these 
five  sleepy  children  they  pitied  me  and  hid  us  in 


A  PASTOR'S  NARRATIVE  95 

an  old  mill  that  had  been  partially  burned.  All 
day  long  the  Boxers  sought  for  newcomers,  whom 
they  intended  to  kill ;  and  all  night  they  passed 
and  repassed  the  place  where  I  was  hid.  I 
could  hear  their  footsteps,  but  I  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  Lord  and  they  failed  to  find  me ; 
nevertheless  they  caught  and  killed  one  of  the 
Christians  and  nailed  his  head  to  the  wall  of  the 
church — a  ghastly  sight  to  see. 

Once  more  I  fled  to  the  mountains  while  it 
was  yet  dark,  but  the  children  were  ill  with  the 
heat  of  the  sun  and  there  seemed  not  the  faint- 
est hope  of  our  escaping.  After  repeated  efforts 
to  save  the  children  I  found  that  I  must  abandon 
my  infant  or  lose  them  all,  so  I  left  it  by  the 
roadside  begging  strangers  to  care  for  it,  and  hid 
with  the  others  several  days  in  the  mountains. 
One  morning  at  daybreak  a  messenger  came  to 
tell  me  that  the  Boxers  intended  to  search  for 
us,  which  when  we  heard  we  went  to  a  small  vil- 
lage near  by  where  we  were  concealed  two  days 
longer. 

The  people  feared  the  Boxers  and  drove  us 
out,  and  for  ten  days  we  were  in  the  sun-scorched 
mountains  where  we  almost  perished.  The 
Boxers  caught  one  of  the  Christians  (Liu  Pei- 
chai)  and  forced  him  to  assist  them  in  their 
search.  Though  we  met  them  he  purposely 
failed  to  recognize  us,  and  when  they  had  passed 
we  hid  in  the  broomcorn  fields  a  day  and  a  night. 
1  discovered   that   my  husband   was  concealed 


96  CHINESE    HEROES 

in  a  melon  store  and  asked  the  proprietor  to 
allow  us  to  hide,  with  him  ;  but  when  I  arrived 
one  of  the  elders  urged  the  villagers  to  arrest 
us,  which  was  forthwith  done.  My  husband  was 
first  bound  and  taken  to  the  temple  after  which 
they  came  to  take  me.  When  I  saw  them  I 
was  frightened,  and  asked  them  where  they  had 
taken  my  husband  ;  to  which  they  only  answered, 
"  Attend  to  your  own  affairs  and  do  not  meddle 
with  his."  The  villagers  urged  that,  if  the  Box- 
ers wanted  me  to  do  so,  I  should  go  with  them, 
assuring  me  that  if  I  fled  they  would  take  some 
one  else  in  my  stead.  I  found  that  the  people 
were  very  much  frightened  and  I  decided  to  fol- 
low my  husband.  When  I  arrived  I  found 
they  had  bound  him  to  take  him  to  P'ing  An 
Ch'eng,  and  I  wept  and  begged  them  to  set  him 
free.  The  elders  answered,  "  If  you  were  our 
own  relative  we  would  not  listen  to  your  appeal. 
We  are  going  to  take  him  to  P'ing  An  Ch'eng 
where  the  Boxers  may  kill  him." 

My  husband,  to  comfort  and  quiet  me,  said, 
"  Never  mind  ;  let  them  do  as  they  wish."  The 
villagers  took  me  to  another  place  and  the  eld- 
ers and  Boxers  carried  my  husband  away  to  kill 
him.  I  was  told  that  when  he  was  killed  he 
showed  no  fear,  but  with  joy  his  spirit  ascended 
to  the  Father  in  heaven. 

I  took  the  children  and  left  the  village, 
and  when  the  villagers  saw  me  in  want  they 
urged  me  to  bind  out  the  children  and   marry 


A  PASTOR'S  NARRATIVE  97 

again.      I    answered,  "  I   will  die   before    I  will 
do  so." 

Rev.  Chang  Pai-lin,  hearing  of  our  destitute 
condition,  consulted  with  Dr.  Wang  Hsiang-ho, 
and  at  night  they  brought  me  here,  to  T'ang 
Shan,  where  in  sadness  over  the  loss  of  my  hus- 
band who  was  killed,  and  the  babe  I  was  com- 
pelled to  abandon,  I  have  lived  for  the  sake  of 
the  little  ones  who  still  remain. 


After  we  had  been  in  T  ang  Shan  but  three 
days  we  heard  that  both  Peking  and  Tientsin 
had  been  taken.  I  visited 
the  latter  place,  where  I 
met  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pyke,  a 
thing  for  which  I  hardly 
dared  to  hope,  for  we  were 
prepared  to  hear  that  all 
the  missionaries  had  been 
killed.  Our  greeting  was 
such  as  I  can  imagine 
might  take   place  between  cKang  Pai-iin 

two  who  had  been  raised  from  the  dead.  We 
felt  that  we  were  born  aorain.  I  was  told  that 
the  Allied  Forces  would  occupy  Shan  Hai  Kuan 
and  I  hoped  that  it  would  soon  be  possible  for 
us  to  return  to  our  work.  I  brought  my  fam- 
ily to  Tientsin,  where  we  all  knelt  and  thanked 
God  for  his  presence  with  us  in  time  of  danger. 


CHINESE    HEROES 


THE  STORY  OF  SINAH,  WIFE  OF  PASTOR 
CH'EN 

When  Mr.  Chen  went  to  Conference  the 
Boxer  trouble  had  not  begun,  but  when  he  re- 
turned to  Lao  T'ing,  less  than  two  weeks  later, 
the  Boxers   were  like   grasshoppers  which    the 

4  wind  had  brought,  infest- 
ing the  entire  country,  and 
as  a  consequence  Lao  T'ing 
was  in  confusion. 
A  report  was  circulated 
that  he  had  brought  four 
large  guns,  with  several 
foreigners,  and  had  hid- 
den them  in  the  church, 
cH-en  Herxg-te  ^^^  ^\^q  j^^^t  day  (Suuday, 

June  24)  the  people  came  to  church  in  crowds 
like  those  who  go  to  market.  We  told  them 
the  story  was  false,  but  they  would  not  be- 
lieve us,  and  as  the  crowds  continued  to  come 
during  the  following  days  the  official  sent  to  ask 
Mr.  Ch'en  to  come  and  see  him,  advising  him 
to  flee,  which  we  did  on  the  following  day,  arriv- 
ing at  Ch'ang  Li  Hsien  in  the  evening. 

We  had  heard  that  there  was  an  English  war 
vessel  at  Pei  Tai  Ho,  the  summer  resort  of 
North  China,    but  it  was  reported  that  it  had 


THE    STORY    OF    SINAH  99 

sailed  away,  taking  the  foreigners  to  Tientsin 
or  Chefoo.  The  news  that  the  vessel  had  de- 
parted brought  tears  to  our  eyes.  We  knew 
not  where  to  go  nor  what  to  do,  as  we  were 
hoping,  if  the  worst  came,  to  flee  with  the  for- 
eigners to  a  place  of  safety.  Every  door  behind 
us  was  closed  and  there  was  no  way  to  go  for- 
ward. Our  four  children  w^ere  small  and  I  was 
myself  In  no  condition  to  travel.  We  were  In  a 
sad  plight.  We  prayed  to  the  Lord  to  open  a 
way,  and  In  this  uncertain  condition  remained 
for  two  days  at  a  Chinese  inn.  While  here  w^e 
saw  some  of  the  Lan  Chou  and  An  Ke  Chuang 
Christians  returning  to  their  homes  In  carts,  but 
as  we  could  devise  no  measures  for  our  own 
conduct  or  safety  we  remained  two  days  longer 
at  the  Inn. 

While  here  some  of  the  Christians  from  An 
Ke  Chuang  came  with  carts  offering  to  take  us 
to  that  place  and  allow  us  to  dwell  In  the  church. 
After  pondering  the  matter  for  a  moment  we 
concluded  to  go ;  first,  because  we  feared  If  we 
remained  we  would  be  persecuted  to  the  extent 
that  we  would  deny  our  Lord  ;  second,  because 
all  the  people  at  An  Ke  Chuang  were  Chris- 
tians, and  if  It  were  the  Lord's  will  that  we 
should  be  put  to  death  we  would  have  about  us 
those  who  would  stimulate  our  faith,  and  would 
die  among  those  who  gave  up  life  with  a  cry  of 
joy  and  not  with  those  who  were  without  hope, 
and  so  we  went  with  them  the  following  day. 


100  CHINESE    HEROES 

The  conditions  there  were  better  than  else- 
where. The  church  at  Lan  Chou  had  already 
been  closed,  as  was  that  at  An  Ke  Chuang  a 
few  days  later,  and  the  people  advised  the  Chris- 
tians to  worship  idols,  in  which  case  they 
thought  they  could  protect  them.  Things  had 
come  to  this  pass  when  we  heard  that  it  was  all 
quiet  at  T'ang  Shan,  and  Mr.  Ch'en  went  to  see  if 
the  report  was  true.  He  found  Dr.  Wang  Hsiang- 
ho,  one  of  China's  most  faithful  Christians,  who 
invited  us  to  come  at  once  and  he  would  prepare 
a  house  for  our  reception. 

You  can  imagine  our  joy  on  hearing  thi:,.  He 
found  us  three  rooms,  which  Mr.  Chang  Mao- 
lin  helped  us  to  clean  and  put  in  order,  but  cer- 
tain ruffians  who  saw  him  going  in  and  out  of 
the  house  made  uncomplimentary  remarks  and 
then  reported  to  the  official  that  we  were  "  devils 
of  the  second  order,"  and  that  if  we  were  allowed 
to  remain  some  great  calamity  would  befall  the 
place,  quoting  the  proverb  :  "  He  who  harbors  a 
devil  is  like  the  devil."  We  therefore  seemed  to 
be  without  hope  and  placed  ourselves  in  the 
hands  of  the  Lord. 

After  a  few  days  we  heard  that  a  boat  was 
about  to  leave  Lao  T'ing  for  Chefoo  and  if  we 
desired  .to  go  we  were  at  liberty  to  do  so,  as  the 
captain  would  be  glad  to  give  us  passage.  We 
thought  it  an  excellent  opportunity  and  went  to 
Pien  Liang  T'ing,  but  were  told  that  the  boat 
had  sailed  the  day  before,  and  we  were  left  in  a 


THE    STORY    OF    SINAH ;  ./       A&i 

sad  plieht.  In  the  evening*  wG'heaF(^'tjiatt*i"ot^^^ 
bers  were  on  every  hand.  The  next  morning 
ten  men  with  swords  and  spears  came  to  arrest 
us,  demanding  everything  we  had,  but  offering 
to  set  us  free  and  allow  us  to  keep  our  things  if 
we  would  give  them  fifty  ounces  of  silver. 

During  the  night  we  once  more  fled  to  An  Ke 
Chuang,  where  Teacher  Kao  found  us  a  place 
to  live.  This  teacher  was  a  graduate  of  the 
theological  school  and  for  several  years  a 
preacher  and  also  teacher  in  the  Lan  Chou  boys' 
school.  He  was  a  scholarly  man  and  able,  but 
by  nature  timid  and  retiring.  His  life  was  so 
blameless  and  his  spirit  so  gentle  that  the  elders 
of  his  village,  though  not  Christian,  and  sympa- 
thizing with  the  Boxer  movement,  were  per- 
suaded to  give  him  a  written  statement  that 
neither  he  nor  the  other  Christians  in  the  villaore 
had  done  any  harm,  but  only  good. 

He  had  a  generous  disposition  and  a  large 
heart,  which  he  manifested  not  only  in  his  treat- 
ment of  us  but  of  others  as  well.  This  was  the 
second  time  we  had  come  to  his  home  and  the 
people  of  the  village  forbade  us  to  remain, 
threatening  that  if  he  harbored  any  strangers 
they  would  refuse  protection  both  to  him  and  his 
house.  We  begged  with  tears  but  they  would 
not  relent,  and  we  therefore  concluded  to  return 
home  and  if  we  were  killed  it  should  be  in  our 
own  church. 

"  Do  you  fear  death  ?"  Mr.  Kao  inquired. 


W^J      V  J  j:.  CHINESE  HEROES 

L?*'.J?otiF|  ^^he  i^asf  we  answered. 

"  If  you  So  not  fear  death,"  he  continued, 
"  stay,  and  help  us  to  look  after  the  place.  The 
house  is  mine  and  I  will  entertain  whoever  I 
wish.  Others  shall  not  control  me.  Do  not 
weep." 

When  we  heard  this  we  decided  not  to  go.  It 
was  at  this  time  and  place  we  heard  of  the  per- 
secutions at  Ch'ien  An.  It  was  reported  that 
many  were  killed  daily,  and  the  suffering  of  those 
who  were  massacred  and  those  who  were  left 
will  never  be  understood  except  by  those  who 
endured  it. 

The  Boxers  at  An  Ke  Chuang,  when  they 
heard  of  the  success  of  those  at  other  places,  set 
afloat  a  rumor  that  we  were  using  secret  charms 
for  the  injury  of  the  people  and  our  own  protec- 
tion, and  to  verify  these  rumors  on  the  12th  of 
the  7th  month  they  dug  up  a  stone  on  which 
was  red  paint,  which  they  pretended  to  believe 
was  medicine,  and  a  crowd  of  people  gathered 
intending  to  kill  us.  The  village  elders  inter- 
fered, ordering  them  to  wait  until  daylight,  when 
they  said  they  would  take  us  before  the  official. 

When  Mr.  Kao  was  brought  before  the  mag- 
istrate and  asked  why  he  had  followed  the 
"  foreign  devils  "  and  accepted  their  religion  he 
replied  :  "  My  emperor  issued  many  edicts  declar- 
ing the  doctrines  of  the  Jesus  religion  good  and 
permitting  all  who  desired  to  enter  it.  Your 
excellency  also  said  the  same  in  many  proclama- 


THE    STORY    OF    SINAH  103 

tions.  I  trusted  my  emperor  and  my  magis- 
trate. I  examined  it,  and  found  it  indeed  good. 
I  believed  it,  and  found  it  better  than  I  expected. 
I  cannot  renounce  it.  As  to  our  conduct  and 
life,  I  beg  to  present  the  written  statement  of 
my  village  elders." 

The  magistrate  was  a  just  man,  above  the  or- 
dinary mandarin,  and  Kao  Fu  Ching  and  his 
members  were  spared.  Mr.  Kao  also  risked  his 
life  by  taking  the  preachers  and  their  families 
into  his  house  and  feeding  them  as  long  as  they 
dared  to  stay. 

Before  daylight  came  we  fled  to  Lan  Chou, 
where  we  rented  a  room  or  two  from  a  non- 
Christian,  hoping  to  remain  here  till  Peking  was 
relieved.  It  would  be  impossible  to  relate  what 
we  endured  these  two  months — petty  persecu- 
tions which  chafed  us  whenever  we  moved  or 
whatever  we  did — but  the  Lord  was  with  us  all 
the  time. 

On  the  1 8th  of  the  Second  8th  month,  when 
the  foreign  soldiers  came  to  Lan  Chou,  it  was 
all  quiet;  but  on  the  night  of  the  23rd  the  Box- 
ers burned  the  railroad  and  came  into  the  city 
to  kill  the  official  and  the  Christians.  Fourteen 
foreign  soldiers  were  already  there  and  drove 
them  away.  We  could  hear  the  firing  distinctly, 
as  it  was  but  a  mile  away,  and  we  were  dread- 
fully frightened. 

During  this  awful  night,  surrounded  by  a  howl- 
ing mob,  with  people  running  to  and  fro  and 


104  CHINESE  HEROES 

the  firing  of  the  foreigners  mingled  with  that  of 
the  Boxers,  we  were  compelled  to  shut  ourselves 
up  in  our  little  hut,  and  with  only  such  help  as 
my  husband  could  give  me  our  little  child  was 
born.  But  when  morning  dawned  the  brave  for- 
eign soldiers,  though  only  fourteen  in  number, 
had  put  the  Boxers  to  flight,  the  fighting  had 
ceased,  our  little  girl  was  alive,  and  we  were  still 
safe. 

Peace  was  gradually  restored.  The  Lord  had 
protected  us  and  we  were  more  determined  than 
ever  to  do  his  work,  in  the  hope  that  China 
might  never  again  suffer  from  such  an  uprising, 
and  that  the  blood  of  our  ma/tyrs  might  be  the 
seed  of  a  pure  and  prosperous  church  in  the 
near  future. 


DR.    WANG  105 


DR^  WANG 

Physician  in  Charge  of  the  Chinese  Imperial  Railway  and 
Mining  Company's  Hospital 

One  hot  summer  day  at  the  hills  west  of  Pe- 
king, while  working  with  my  teacher  on  the 
mysteries  of  the  Chinese  language,  I  received 
among  my  mail  the  following  note,  written,  it 
will  be  observed,  in  a  spirit  which  compels  us 
to  overlook  any  deviation  from  the  established 
rules  of  our  mother  tonorue  : 

o 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Headland  : 

"  I  beg  to  inform  you  that  my  salary  has  been 
raised  to  twenty-four  dollars  Mexican  (about 
$12.50  U.  S.  gold)  now,  per  month,  and  I  think 
it  is  the  chance  for  me  to  do  something  for 
others.  I  am  very  glad  to  help  a  boy  In  school 
at  Peking ;  It  will  show  that  I  love  the  school  as 
my  next  home,  and  also  that  I  did  not  forget  the 
kindness  of  the  mission.  Although  I  cannot  do 
the  missionary  work  of  myself,  but  I  always  ask 
my  Heavenly  Father  to  help  me  to  have  a  good 
conduct  to  serve  Him. 

"  When  you  tell  me  how  much  I  shall  pay  for 
a  boy  In  school,  I  shall  send  you  the  money. 

"  With  best  reo^ards, 

"  I  am  your  obedient  servant 

"  Wang  Hsiang-ho." 


106  CHINESE  HEROES 

I  immediately  wrote  to  Dr.  Wang  telling  him 
the  amount  necessary  to  support  a  boy,  and  he 
promptly  responded  with  a  check,  which  support 
he  has  been  keeping  up  ever  since. 


Dr.  'Wang  Hsiang-Ho 

It  was  five  years  later  that  a  letter  came  to 
Rev.  J.  H.  Pyke  as  follows,  as  nearly  as  I  can 
remember : 

"  Dear  Mr.  Pyke: 

"  I  awoke  this  morning  about  three  a.  m.  I 
could  not  go  to  sleep,  and  as  I  tossed  from  side 
to  side  upon  my  bed  the  thought  came  to  me,  if 
I  should  die  and  go  to  heaven,  and  the   Lord 


DR.    WANG  107 

should  say  to  me,  '  Hsiang-ho,  why  did  you 
not  teach  those  patients  in  the  hospital  the 
way  of  salvation  ? '  what  answer  would  I 
make  ? 

"  When  I  got  up  in  the  morning  I  went  to  the 
foreign  doctor  and  asked  him  if  I  might  have 
morning  and  evening  prayers  with  the  patients. 
He  told  me  I  might.  I  would  like  therefore  if 
you  would  send  me  some  Bibles  and  hymn  books 
together  with  the  bill  for  the  same. 

"  I  am  your  obedient  servant 

"Wang  Hsiang-ho." 

For  some  years  before  that  Dr.  Wang  had 
been  distributing  tracts  among  the  patients  at 
his  own  expense,  and  from  that  time  he  has 
been  having  morning  and  evening  prayers.  Of 
his  conduct  during  the  Boxer  movement,  in  ad- 
dition to  what  is  said  of  him  by  Te  Jui,  Mrs. 
Chen,  and  Mrs.  Chou,  I  can  do  no  better  than 
give  the  excellent  report  of  his  work  written  by 
Rev.  J.  H.  Pyke  and  printed  in  World-Wide 
Missions  of  June,  1901  : 

"  I  must  tell  of  one  more  of  the  noble  band 
of  heroes — thank  God,  not  martyrs,  though  we 
praise  him  for  them  too. 

"  Dr.  H.  H.Wang  was  trained  in  Peking  Uni- 
versity and  Medical  School.  For  several  years 
past  he  has  been  first  assistant  in  the  Imperial 
Chinese  Railway  Hospital  at  Tong-Shan,  in 
charge  of  such  able  physicians  and  surgeons  as 


108  CHINESE  HEROES 

Drs.  Robertson  and  Moorehead.  He  has  won 
voluntary  testimonials  from  both  these  gentle- 
men for  efficiency,  integrity,  and  painstaking 
faithfulness.  Dr.  Wang's  heart  was  more  and 
more  drawn  to  teaching  the  Gospel  to  his  pa- 
tients, and  he  began  to  consult  his  pastors  in  re- 
gard to  his  convictions  and  a  better  opening  for 
that  kind  of  work  than  a  government  hospital 
was  thought  to  be.  Hearing  of  this,  Dr.  Robert- 
son wrote  :  '  We  cannot  spare  Dr.  Wang.  He 
Is  Invaluable  to  us,  and  I§  just  the  man  we  want. 
In  the  care  and  treatment  of  the  sick  and  the 
management  of  the  finances  he  is  as  trustworthy 
and  faithful  as  an  English  or  American  physi- 
cian could  be.  I  hope  you  will  not  think  of 
taking  him  from  us.  He  may  preach,  teach,  and 
pray  with  the  patients  as  much  as  he  wishes,  and 
he  could  not  find  a  larger  opportunity.'  Dr. 
Moorehead  continued  the  privilege.  He  re- 
mained, and  several  times  his  salary  was  raised 
without  his  asklnof  It. 

"  He  was  conducting  services  daily  when  the 
storm  broke.  The  Europeans  all  left,  but  Wang 
continued  his  work.  The  hospital  became  a  ref- 
uge for  the  fugitive  preachers,  their  families  and 
members.  At  one  time  he  was  sheltering  and 
feeding. some  seventy  of  our  people.  Presiding 
Elder  Te  Jul  and  his  family  found  a  haven  here 
after  six  weeks  of  wandering,  hiding,  and  hair- 
breadth escapes.  God  in  his  wise  providence 
kept  this  man  there  and  prepared  a  refuge  for 


DR.    WANG  111 

his  people  In  the  very  midst  of  their  enemies. 
Wonderful,  yet  how  like  Him  ! 

"  When  the  Russian  army  came  to  Tong-Shan 
the  Railway  Hospital  was  taken  possession  of, 
with  a  Russian  surgeon  in  charge  and  Wang  as 
assistant.  In  a  few  weeks  he  acquired  a  work- 
ing knowledge  of  the  new  language  and  the 
confidence  of  his  chief  Strange  to  say,  the  sick 
and  wounded  soldiers  soon  came  to  prefer  his 
gentle,  sympathetic  treatment  to  the  rough  pro- 
fessional services  of  their  own  surgeons. 

"  To  tell  of  all  the  good  Dr.  Wang  has  done, 
of  the  waifs  he  has  rescued  and  sent  to  mission 
schools,  of  the  students  he  has  aided,  of  the 
property  he  provided  for  a  mission  chapel, 
school,  and  parsonage  in  a  distant  city  when 
help  could  nowhere  else  be  found,  would  make 
a  long  article  in  Itself 

"  The  sympathetic  reader  will  be  sorry  to  hear 
that  Dr.  Wang  has  a  great  sorrow.  As  soon  as 
he  could  get  away  he  went  to  his  own  village, 
two  hundred  miles  or  more  from  Tong-Shan. 
When  he  arrived  he  found  that  his  dear  old 
father  and  several  near  relatives  had  been  mur- 
dered. The  Boxer  neighbors  had  persuaded  his 
father  to  stay  at  home  and  promised  to  protect 
him,  but  afterward  treacherously  and  cruelly 
murdered  him  and  destroyed  all  the  property, 
leaving  the  family  beggars  and  fugitives. 

"  Dr.  Wang's  faith  in  God  was  sorely  tried. 
He  had  prayed  daily  for  his  honored,  beloved 


112  CHINESE  HEROES 

father.  I  saw  him  just  as  I  was  leaving  and  had 
an  hour's  talk  with  him.  He  said  :  *  I  am  so  glad 
to  see  you  before  you  go.  I  want  to  tell  you, 
since  I  have  been  home  and  knew  of  my  father  s 
death  I  have  not  been  able  to  pray.  It  seems 
no  use.  I  know  it  is  wrong,  but  can't  help  it. 
I  did  what  I  could  where  I  was.  I  could  not 
get  home  or  do  anything  for  my  family.  But  I 
cried  unto  God  and  believed  he  heard  me,  and 
all  would  be  well.  And  then  I  found  my  father 
had  been  cut  to  pieces,  and  God  had  not  an- 
swered.' How  many  have  been  tempted  in  the 
same  way  !  *  And  now,'  he  said,  *  whenever  I  go 
to  pray  something  seems  to  whisper,  It's  no  use  ; 
God  does  not  hear.' 

"  I  tried  to  call  his  attention  away  from  the 
earthly  scene,  where  his  aged  father  was  sur- 
rounded with  the  fiendish  Boxers  and  being 
chopped  to  pieces  by  them,  to  the  heavenly 
scene  before  the  great  white  throne  and  Him 
who  sits  upon  it,  with  his  father  standing  before 
him  and  receiving  the  martyr's  crown,  surrounded 
with  the  holy  angels  and  the  great  company  of 
the  redeemed,  who  had  come  up  through  great 
tribulation  and  washed  their  robes  and  made 
them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  As  the 
vision  dawned  upon  his  mind  his  heart  melted,  his 
eyes  filled,  faith  was  restored,  and  he  exclaimed  : 
*  I  see.  God  is  good.  He  doeth  all  things  well. 
I  can  pray  again.'  We  prayed  together  and 
separated. 


DR.    WANG  113 

"  Twenty-four  years  ago  this  young  man,  then 
a  boy  of  nine  or  ten  years,  and  all  his  family  were 
heathen.  But  for  the  coming  of  a  poor  mission- 
ary, a  very  poor  one  ;  but  for  hearing  a  joyful 
message  of  light  and  life,  of  salvation  ;  but  for  the 
little  church,  the  school,  the  university,  the  boy 
and  all  his  family  would  have  remained  igno- 
rant, superstitious  heathen.  And  now  behold 
what  God  hath  wrought !  '  That  the  trial  of 
your  faith,  being  much  more  precious  than  of 
gold  that  perisheth,  though  it  be  tried  with  fire, 
might  be  found  unto  praise  and  honor  and  glory 
at  the  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ.'  Praise  ye  the 
Lord  ! " 

8 


114  CHINESE  HEROES 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  MRS.  CHIN 

When  the  annual  conference  of  1900  closed  I 
returned  to  work  as  a  Bible  woman  at  Tsun- 
hua,  one  hundred  miles  east  of  Peking.  It 
was  but  a  few  days  after  we  arrived  that  the 
trouble  arose,  and  the  foreigfners  all  fled.  There 
were  none  left  in  the  compound  but  myself,  my 
son,  the  two  teachers  of  the  girls'  school,  Hsu 
Hui-fang  and  Liu  Wen-Ian,  and  some  women. 
We  had  none  on  whom  we  could  depend, 
none  to  whom  we  could  go,  but  the  Lord. 
We  met  together  and  prayed,  and  then  decided 
that  it  would  not  be  best  to  remain  in  the 
compound. 

It  did  not  seem  wise  for  so  many  of  us  to  leave 
in  a  body  and  we  therefore  separated  into  two 
companies,  one  to  go  with  Rev.  Liu  Chi-lun,the 
pastor  of  the  church,  and  the  other  with  me  as 
their  leader.  We  went  to  Pei  Hsiang,  a  village 
some  distance  away.  In  the  hope  that  we  might 
avoid  the  Impending  danger,  not  thinking  that 
the  peril  there  was  as  great  as  In  the  place 
whence  we  had  fled,  but  finding  it  to  be  so  we 
returned  to  Tsun-hua.  As  Pel  Hsiang  was  the 
home  of  the  teacher  Liu  Wen-Ian  she  remained 
there,  and  thus  our  company  was  slightly  di- 
minished. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  MRS.  CH'IN      117 

When  we  returned  to  Tsun-hua  we  heard  that 
the  mission  was  already  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy,  who  had  surrounded  the  compound  and 
were  knocking  down  the  gates.  It  was  impos- 
sible for  us  to  remain  under  such  condItI®ns 
and  once  more  we  fled — this  time  In  disorder, 
each  going  his  own  way.  I  went  to  an  Inn,  In 
which  the  only  person  I  knew  was  an  old  uncle 
who  asked  me  to  remain.  I  requested  him  to  go 
at  once  and  find  the  schoolgirls  and  my  son. 
This,  however,  was  not  an  easy  task,  for  the 
grain  in  the  fields  was  high  and  It  would  have 
been  as  easy  for  the  Boxers  to  find  me  as  it  was 
for  him  to  discover  their  hiding-places.  He  went 
in  search  of  them  but  found  none  except  my 
son,  who  was  concealed  behind  a  small  temple, 
and  brought  him  to  me.  The  girls  were  in  the 
home  of  a  Mohammedan  to  whom  Rev.  Liu 
Chi-lun  promised  two  hundred  ounces  of  silver 
If  he  would  protect  them. 

Since  I  had  no  place  of  my  own  to  which  I 
could  go  I  took  my  son  to  the  home  of  an  aunt 
at  Nan  Ying,  who  treated  us  kindly  while  we 
remained  with  her.  I  explained  the  doctrine  for 
which  we  were  being  persecuted.  My  aunt  for- 
bade me  to  say  anything  about  Christianity, 
assuring  us  that  It  would  only  add  to  our  peril, 
but  as  my  soul  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Lord  I 
felt  I  ought  to  bear  witness  to  his  saving  power. 

It  was  soon  reported  to  the  head  of  the  Box- 
ers that  a  "  second-rate    devil "  was  hid  in   my 


118  CHINESE  HEROES 

aunt's  home  but  as  they  were  not  strong  In  that 
village  they  feared  to  arrest  me,  giving  as  a  rea- 
son that  I  was  able  to  make  paper  horses  and 
soldiers  w^ho  would  fight  In  my^defense.  Their 
number  gradually  Increased  and  it  was  not  long 
until  three  or  four  hundred  came  and  carried 
away  all  I  had,  and  because  I  had  unbound  my 
feet  they  pulled  off  my  shoes  and  threatened  to 
kill  both  me  and  my  son. 

"  Cowards  !"  said  one  of  the  bystanders,  "would 
you  kill  a  widow  ?  " 

"  No,"  they  answered,  "  but  we  will  kill  the 
boy." 

"Ah,"  continued  the  bystander  In  a  sarcastic 
tone,  "  you  are  brave  men  ;  too  gallant  to  kill 
widows,  just  bluster  enough  to  kill  children." 

This  seemed  to  shame  them  but  they  beat 
him  unmercifully.  I  pleaded  with  them  to  kill 
me  and  spare  my  son,  but  they  refused  to  listen 
and  took  him  to  Ko  Lao  Wan,  two  miles  away, 
while  I  followed  close  behind  begging  them  all 
the  time. 

Something,  I  know  not  what,  perhaps  our  deso- 
lation, moved  their  hard  hearts,  and  they  finally 
set  him  free,  and  we  hid  for  a  time  In  an  old 
graveyard.  While  there  the  devil  tempted  me 
to  kill  myself,  persuading  me  that  Jesus  would 
not  receive  me.  We  were  consumed  with  hunger 
and  thirst,  and  nearly  spent,  when  a  Taoist  priest 
ninety  years  old,  who  was  surely  sent  of  the 
Lord,  gave  us  something  to  eat. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  MRS.  CHTN      119 

Although  my  aunt  was  not  a  Christian  she 
did  not  forget  us.  She  invited  us  to  return,  but 
we  dared  not  be  where  we  could  be  seen.  In 
the  rear  of  her  house  a  small  mud  hut  contained 
a  hollow  clay  bed  (k'ang)  just  large  enough  to 
accommodate  us,  and  though  it  was  July,  and 
the  weather  was  burning  hot,  they  placed  us 
therein  and  covered  it  over  with  boards.  We 
thanked  God  that  he  had  spared  our  lives,  but 
they  had  beaten  my  boy  until  he  bled  and  he 
could  not  eat.  He  must  also  have  been  hurt 
inwardly,  as  he  had  constant  hemorrhages,  but 
he  gradually  recovered  and  we  remained  in  that 
hot,  dusty,  dirty  k'ang  ten  days  without  being 
discovered.  But  our  eneiuies  saw  them  bringing 
us  food,  reported  it  to  the  Boxers,  and  they 
came  to  kill  us.  They  beat  my  boy  and  would 
have  killed  him,  but  the  good  men  of  the  village 
interfered  and  once  more  they  set  us  free. 

As  the  villagers  objected  to  our  remaining 
there  I  thought  it  the  part  of  wisdom  to  return 
to  my  mother-in-law's.  On  our  way  we  saw  the 
Boxers  at  a  distance  and  hid  ourselves  in  a  gully 
until  they  had  passed,  when  we  continued  on 
our  way  to  Liang  Tzu  Ho.  We  were  uncertain 
of  the  road  and  prayed  for  guidance,  but  found 
it  necessary  to  turn  aside  and  go  to  my  uncle's 
again. 

He  treated  us  with  the  utmost  consideration 
but  his  wife  drove  us  from  the  house.  That 
night   we   had    no   place  to  go.     We  could  not 


120  CHINESE  HEROES 

wander  about  all  night,  as  we  had  done  during 
the  day,  and  so  returned  to  their  mill-house  and 
my  uncle  made  us  a  place  to  sleep  in  their  fuel 
shed.  There  were  days  when  they  gave  us  one 
meal  only,  and  then  days  when  we  had  nothing. 
My  aunt  was  furious  at  our  being  there  and  often 
beat  and  reviled  us,  fulfilling  Matt,  x,  35-37. 
There  were  nights  when  we  were  so  hungry  that 
my  boy  went  out  upon  the  street  and  picked  up 
the  melon  peel  that  had  been  thrown  away  and 
brought  it  in  for  food. 

My  uncle  was  exceedingly  kind  and  spent  not 
less  than  fifty  dollars  trying  to  protect  us,  at  the 
same  time  saying  confidentially  to  the  Boxers 
if  they  found  us  anywhere  not  to  injure  or  kill 
us,  thus  leading  them  to  think  that  he  knew 
nothing  of  our  whereabouts.  We  were  thus  se- 
creted in  his  fuel  shed  and  were  not  allowed  to 
go  out  until  the  trouble  was  over,  when  we  found 
ourselves  still  alive  but  without  means,  food, 
clothing  or  home. 

When  the  cold  weather  came  my  uncle  gave 
us  money  to  buy  clothes  and  my  brother  built 
us  a  home  out  of  weeds  and  grass.  I  inquired 
if  the  girls  were  all  saved  but  found  that  the 
two  teachers,  Hsii  Hui-fang  and  Liu  Wen-Ian, 
together  with  several  of  the  school  girls,  had 
been  killed. 


STUDENTS  OF  PEKING  UNIVERSITY    121 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  STUDENTS  OF  PEKING 
UNIVERSITY 

Our  first  special  anxiety  was  caused  by  the 
report  that  the  railway  station  had  been  de- 
stroyed and  the  news  from  our  church  at  Pa- 
chou,  where  Wang  Mao-yin  was  stationed,  that 
the  chapel  keeper  Chu 
had  been  murdered."^ 

A  meeting  was  called 
at  the  American  Board 
mission  at  which  there 
were  present  the  leading 
native  Christians  of  all 
the  churches  in  Peking* 
the  purpose  being  to 
consult  as  to  the  best 
method  of  conduct  for 
the  Chinese  in  case  the 
in  effecting  an  entrance  to 
prolonged  discussion,  during  which  it  was 
suggested  that  all  the  native  Christians  ren- 
dezvous at  their  present  place  of  meeting,  they 
adjourned  without  reaching  any  definite  con- 
clusion as  to  what  would  be  best  to  be  done ; 
though  it  is  not  probable  that  any  one   of  all 


"Wang  Mao-yin 

Boxers    succeeded 
the  city.     After  a 


♦When  the  news  of  the  death  of  his  friend  reached  the  chapel  keeper 
Han  at  Yen  Ch'ing  Chouhe  was  so  shocked  that  he  died  that  same  night. 


122  CHINESE  HEROES 

that  company  apprehended  that  the  government 
would  allow  the  disturbance  to  enter  the  city. 
When  the  carts  arrived  which  brought  the  mis- 
sionaries from  Tungchou  they  contained  but 
four  of  their  native  teachers,  their  Peking  stu- 
dents having  been  sent  to  their  homes  in  the 
city  from  which  they  did  not  join  us  until  after 
the  burning  of  the  missions  with  which  they 
were  connected;  thus  indicating  that  all  alike 
were  oblivious  of  the  danger  which  threatened 
them,  though  the  missionaries  from  the  other 
missions  began  at  once  to  gather  at  our  com- 
pound. 

In  addition  to  the  gate  keeper  we  had  a  for- 
eigner or  a  Chinese  preacher  stationed  at  the 
gate  whose  duty  it  was  to  record  the  name  of 
every  one  that  entered,  thus  preventing  the  ad- 
mission of  heathen,  and  to  write  such  descrip- 
tions of  them  as  would  enable  us  to  recoo^nize 
them  thereafter.  This  w^as  given  to  the  person 
himself  and  he  was  compelled  to  use  it  as  a 
passport  whenever  he  desired  to  enter  or  leave 
the  compound.  As  these  descriptions  were 
written  in  English  the  holders  often  got  them 
mixed  with  those  of  their  friends,  which  was  the 
source  of  much  amusement  as  well  as  trouble. 

Our  teachers  and  students  who  had  not  yet 
left  for  their  homes  were  divided  into  two  parties, 
those  who  were  married  beine  allowed  to  live 
with  their  wives  and  families  in  the  mission 
compound   while    the  unmarried   were  required 


•  'i 

,1 
<l 

r 

t 

^^^^lP^-«^(fi@flHr^^^BI                     ^'^^' 

i 

t 

1 

STUDENTS  OF  PEKING  UNIVERSITY   125 

to  dwell  in  the  college ;  the  former  being 
guarded  by  twenty  foreign  soldiers  while  the 
latter  were  without  protection  other  than  that 
which  the  men  themselves  could  afford.  We 
were  drilled  daily  in  the  use  of  spears,  that  we 
might  be  able  to  defend  ourselves  in  case  of 
attack. 

Many  of  us  spent  our  days  digging  trenches 
around  the  church  which  was  to  be  our  last 
refuge,  some  of  us  neither  taking  off  our  clothes 
nor  sleeping  on  our  beds  for  five  days  and 
nights.  The  while  we  lived  on  corn-meal  por- 
ridge. As  business  was  blocked  we  had  great 
difficulty  in  getting  spades,  but  finally  succeeded 
in  securing  about  sixty,  many  of  which  we  were 
compelled  to  give  to  the  women  and  children 
who  were  employed  in  tearing  up  walks  to  build 
barricades  around  the  church.  On  each  side  of 
our  trench  we  stretched  barbed  wires,  so  that  in 
case  the  Boxers  succeeded  in  scaling  our  wall 
they  would  either  be  caught  on  the  wire  or  fall 
into  the  ditch,  in  which  case  we  would  have  time 
to  dispose  of  them. 

A  few  of  the  soldiers  from  a  camp  stationed 
just  outside  our  college  campus  on  one  occasion 
came  to  examine  our  barricades ;  the  gong  was 
sounded  by  Teacher  Lu  as  a  signal  to  Captain 
Hall,  who  with  four  foreign  soldiers  came  and 
marched  around  the  campus,  which  put  an  end 
to  all  interference  from  that  direction.  This 
same  Teacher  Lu  mounted  several  pieces  of  stove 


126  CHINESE  HEROES 

pipe,  the  ends  of  which  were  covered  with  red 
cloth,  at  the  upstairs  windows  of  the  college 
building,  which  made  a  fair  ruse  of  being  large 
ouns. 

The  night  the  Boxers  entered  the  city  on  their 
burning  and  killing  expedition  we  all  rushed  to 
the  church.  We  knew  not  at  what  moment  we 
might  be  attacked,  but  they  came  no  nearer  than 
the  Great  Street.  Thereafter  when  we  went  on 
the  street  to  buy  vegetables  or  other  provisions 
we  were  never  without  our  rifles,  which  when 
the  people  saw  they  gazed  at  us  with  open 
mouth  but  they  never  refused  to  sell  us  what  we 
needed. 

"  One  day  when  I  was  at  my  post  on  the  top 
of  the  hospital,"  says  Teacher  Ch'en  Wei-ch'eng, 
"  I  saw  a  man  go  within  the  border  of  our  barri- 
cades. Raising  my  rifle  I  pointed  it  at  him, 
saying, 

" '  This  is  the  last  of  you.' 

"'Don't  shoot,'  said  he,  falling  on  his  knees 
and  begging  for  mercy. 

"'  What  are  you  doing  In  here.?'  I  Inquired. 

"'I  missed  my  way  and  got  inside  your  lines 
by  mistake.' 

"'Go,  then,  and  do  not  make  the  same  mis- 
take afjain,'  I  commanded  him." 

Those  of  us  who  could  speak  English  most 
fluently  were  used  as  interpreters  for  the  marines, 
each  post  having  two  Interpreters  who  were  on 
duty  seven  hours  at  a  time.     We   scanned  the 


STUDENTS  OF  PEKING  UNIVERSITY    127 

bulletin  boards  to  see  what  orders  the  foreigners 
received  from  their  Ministers  and  what  news 
they  had  as  to  the  condition  of  affairs  outside. 

When  the  order  came  for  us  to  go  to  the 
Legation  we  carried  our  bedding  and  whatever 
other  things  we  could  on  our  backs ;  though 
many  were  so  frightened,  and  in  such  haste  to 
get  away,  that  they  stopped  for  nothing,  not 
even  a  change  of  clothing.  The  students  were 
at  the  rear  of  the  line  of  march  up  Legation 
Street.  When  we  arrived  in  front  of  the  Italian 
Legation  we  were  stopped  and  compelled  to 
wait  for  half  an  hour,  not  knowing  whether  we 
were  to  be  admitted  or  not,  until  finally  Major 
Conger  came  and  gave  the  order,  and  Dr.  Mor- 
rison met  us  on  horseback  and  led  us  to  Su 
Wang  Fu,  which  from  that  time  we  called  the 
"  Rock  of  Acres  cleft  for  us."  Here  we  remained 
in  an  open  court  in  the  hot  sun  with  nothing  to 
eat  or  drink  for  four  hours,  during  which  time 
the  infants  and  children  suffered  especially  from 
hunger,  thirst  and  heat.  Dr.  Saville  brought 
some  boiled  water  from  the  British  Legation,  but 
among  so  many  what  she  could  carry  was  as 
nothing  ;  nevertheless  it  quenched  the  thirst  of 
the  little  ones,  and  made  them  a  little  more  com- 
fortable, though  they  cried  bitterly  for  food. 

About  four  o'clock  we  got  into  the  Fu  and  at 
once  Mr.  Ewing  headed  a  gang  of  Christians 
and  led  us  to  a  grain  shop,  to  the  proprietor  of 
which  we  said,  "  We  w^ant  flour  and  rice.     If  we 


128  CHINESE  HEROES 

live  we  will  pay  you  for  it,  but  if  we  are  killed 
you  will  be  the  loser." 

"  Take  what  you  want,"  said  he,  seeing  that  he 
had  no  alternative. 

We  took  several  bags  of  flour  and  fermented 
rice  and  when  we  reached  the  Fu  found  some 
huge  iron  kettles,  with  plenty  of  coal,  and  in  a 
short  time  each  one  of  us  was  feasting  on  a  large 
flour  cake  with  some  salted  vegetables,  after 
which  we  prepared  a  large  sleeping  room  for  the 
women  and  children  while  the  men  slept  in  the 
open  court. 

The  firing  had  begun  at  four  o'clock,  but  we 
were  all  so  tired  that  we  went  to  sleep  and  let 
them  fire. 

The  next  day  we  formed  ourselves  into  a  com- 
mittee of  eight — one  from  each  of  the  Protestant 
missions  and  four  from  the  Roman  Catholic — 
the  duty  of  which  was  to  provide  men  for  the 
foreigners  in  charge  of  the  various  departments, 
whether  of  Defenses,  Provisions,  Sanitary  Ar- 
rangements, or  General  Labor,  and  to  see  to  the 
relieving  of  gangs  and  the  preparation  of  food 
for  the  workmen.  This,  however,  was  only  for 
seven  days,  for  by  that  time  the  Fu  was  un- 
tenable by  civilians,  being  under  constant  fire 
from  the  Boxers  and  Chinese  soldiers,  and  as 
several  of  our  number  had  been  wounded  and 
some  killed  we  decided  to  move  into  the  Mon- 
gol encampment,  leaving  only  the  Japanese  sol- 
diers and    a  few  bands   of  Chinese   Christians, 


STUDENTS  OF  PEKING  UNIVERSITY    129 

armed  with  spears  or  guns,  to  defend  the  place. 
The  Chinese  had  already  taken  a  part  of  the  Fii 
and  had  brought  in  a  cannon  to  complete  their 
conquest.  When  the  Japanese  saw  this  they 
determined  to  capture  it. 

"  Who  will  go  with  me  to  capture  that  gun  }  " 
asked  the  officer. 

"  We  will,"  said  a  company  of  Christians,  with 
one  voice. 

"  Be  ready  to  die,  then,  for  we  know  not  who 
will  come  back  alive." 

"  We  will  follow  where  you  lead." 

"  Come  on,  then,"  said  he,  at  the  same  time 
making  a  sally  to  capture  the  gun.  They  had 
almost  reached  it  when  their  leader  was  shot 
down.  They  picked  up  his  dead  body  and  car- 
ried it  back  to  the  barricades  but  failed  to  cap- 
ture the  gun. 

It  was  amusing  to  see  how  little  consideration 
was  felt  by  many  of  the  foreign  soldiers  for  those 
whom  we  had  always  had  the  highest  respect. 
For  instance,  our  head  professor,  who  weighs  not 
less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  was 
taken  by  a  common  French  soldier  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet  to  do  coolie  work.  As  Professor 
Lu  could  not  make  himself  understood  as  being 
the  head  of  the  General  Committee  he  did  the 
wisest  thing  he  could  under  the  circumstances — 
went.  Fortunately  for  him  he  met  someone 
who  could  communicate  with  the  Frenchman,  to 
whom  he  appealed. 

9 


130  CHINESE  HEROES 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  this  man  ?  " 
said  his  friend. 

"  Taking  him  to  dig  trenches,"  answered  the 
soldier. 

"  Yon  cannot  do  anything  with  such  a  big  man 
as  he  is ;  if  you  get  him  into  your  trench  you 
will  never  get  him  out  again." 

And  so,  on  the  promise  that  he  would  get  him 
a  man  to  do  his  work.  Teacher  Lu  was  set  free. 
Two  of  our  teachers,  one  a  graduate  of  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University  the  other  of  DePauw,  were 
given  control  of  a  gang  of  coolies,  most  of  whom 
were  our  own  students,  and  put  to  work  on  the 
defenses  or  in  the  trenches,  another  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  scavenger  work,  while  our  teacher 
of  English  was  transformed  into  a  messenger 
boy  ;  our  hours  being  from  6  a.  m.  to  8  p.  m.,  and 
in  time  of  special  danger  we  were  often  kept  on 
duty  all  night.  Those  of  us  who  worked  in  the 
trenches  suffered  many  hardships,  having  to 
work  in  a  pouring  rain  or  a  scorching  sun,  often 
up  to  our  knees  in  mud,  with  nothing  to  eat  but 
a  bowl  of  fermented  rice,  and  not  infrequently  we 
were  called  out  at  night  to  help  fight  the  fire. 

But  those  of  us  who  were  at  work  on  the  bar- 
ricades were  in  more  immediate  danger  from  the 
bullets  of  the  enemy.  We  realized  that  for  the 
safety  of  all  it  was  necessary  that  the  lives  of  the 
foreigners  be  preserved,  so  that  we  often  occu- 
pied without  hesitation  the  most  exposed  posi- 
tions in  barricade-building  rather  than  allow  our 


STUDENTS  OF  PEKING  UNIVERSITY    131 

foreign  leaders  to  do  so.  In  spite  of  this  but 
one  of  our  number  was  killed  while  carrying 
bricks,  though  many  were  wounded.  Often  our 
hearts  almost  failed  us  as  we  ran  through  the  ex- 
posed places  to  build  up  the  barricades  or  stood 
filling  sandbags  while  the  shot  fell  like  hail  all 
around  us,  wath  an  occasional  shell  or  cannon 
ball  whizzing  overhead  or  striking  the  wall  we 
were  building. 

The  danger  to  which  those  who  were  messen- 
ger boys  were  exposed  w^as  equally  great,  for  no 
matter  how  thick  the  shot  and  shell  were  falling 
they  were  compelled  to  go  from  legation  to  lega- 
tion, indeed  when  the  danger  was  greatest  their 
services  were  most  in  demand.  One  traversing 
the  streets  was  especially  exposed.  This  was 
particularly  true  In  crossing  the  Legation  Street 
bridge,  where  he  was  an  open  target  from  four 
directions.  Often  they  would  wait  until  there 
was  a  lull  in  the  firing  and  then  cross  w^th  a 
rush,  not  infrequently  with  the  cannon  balls  or 
bullets  whizzing  past  their  ears  or  over  their 
heads. 

Every  one  had  his  special  work  assigned  him, 
and  he  was  under  a  "  boss "  who,  in  case  he 
shirked,  went  with  him  to  Mr.  Hobart,  who  had 
charge  of  the  meal  tickets,  and  ordered  that  no 
ticket  be  given  him.  There  were  foreigners  also 
appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  food  supply  and 
see  that  no  one  got  more  than  his  single  cup  of 
fermented  rice,  except  at  such  time  as  we  were 


132  CHINESE  HEROES 

treated  to  the  entrails,  head  and  feet  of  the  mule 
that  was  killed  for  the  Europeans,  which  we  re- 
ceived with  pleasure,  thankful  to  get  anything  to 
fill  our  stomachs. 

During  the  time  that  gunner  Mitchell  was 
making  his  fruitless  efforts  to  construct  a  can- 
non out  of  a  pump,  when  several  of  our  boys 
were  rummaging  through  a  junk  shop  one  of 
them  discovered  an  old  gun.  This  was  after- 
wards mounted  and  became  the  famous  "  Betsy  " 
of  the  siege.  A  man  who  had  formerly  been  a 
Buddhist  priest,  but  had  been  converted  and 
joined  the  church,  was  rehabilitated  in  his  orig- 
inal Buddhist  garb  and  let  down  from  the  city 
wall  at  night,  in  order  if  possible  to  secure  for  a 
Japanese  officer  some  copies  of  The  Peking 
Gazette.  The  next  day  he  was  caught  by  the 
Boxers  and  condemned  to  death,  but  finally  re- 
leased by  the  head  Boxer  because  he  was  "  really 
a  priest."  He  discovered  a  large  amount  of  arms 
and  ammunition  in  a  Buddhist  temple  which  he 
afterwards  revealed  to  Col.  Robe,  and  for  which 
he  was  liberally  rewarded. 

It  was  one  of  the  students  in  our  industrial 
department  who,  being  sent  as  a  messenger  to 
Tientsin,  met  General  Gaselee  immediately  after 
the  battle  at  Yang  Ts'un,  delivered  his  letters, 
and  received  the  assurance  that  the  Allies  would 
be  in  Peking  within  five  days.  This  was  impor- 
tant news  to  us,  as  we  had  cut  down  rations  to 
one  cup  of  rice  a  day  and  were  numbering  the 


STUDENTS  OF  PEKING  UNIVERSITY    133 

men  for  another  cut  when  he  got  in.  We  were 
all  discouraged.  But  our  spirits  rose  with  the 
tidings  he  brought. 

Aaron  Li,  the  son  of  one  of  our  leading 
preachers,  says : 

"  I  w^as  a  coolie  in  those  days,  building  barri- 
cades and  digging  ditches.  One  day  while  work- 
ing in  a  ditch  a  bullet  went  through  my  right 
leg,  but  in  twenty  days  I  was  as  well  as  ever 
and  back  at  my  coolie  work  again." 

His  brother  Moses  was  engaged  in  the  same 
work,  and  when  asked  about  his  experiences 
during  the  siege  he  replied, 

"  Oh,  nothing  happened  to  me  except  that  my 
hands  became  blistered  and  my  feet  got  pustules 
on  them." 

A  number  of  the  students  had  returned  home 
before  the  Boxers  reached  Peking  and  none  were 
placed  in  more  serious  situations  than  they. 
One,  the  only  Christian  In  the  family,  was  about 
to  be  delivered  over  to  the  Boxer  chief  by  his 
elder  brother,  to  prevent  their  troubling  the  rest 
of  the  family,  when  his  mother  Interfered,  saying, 

"  No,  he  shall  not  be  given  up." 

"  But  what  will  you  do  with  him  }  "  asked  the 
brother. 

"  I  do  not  know.  Cannot  you  think  of  a  plan 
for  his  safety?"  said  she  to  his  uncle. 

"  I  know  of  no  better  way  than  to  shave  his 
head  and  make  a  Buddhist  monk  of  him,"  replied 
the  uncle. 


134  CHINESE  HEROES 

"  No,"  said  the  lad  ;  "  I  will  die  rather  than 
deny  my  Lord."     And  he  adds, 

"It  was  beyond  my  fondest  hopes  that  I  was 
not  killed,  and  that  I  am  still  a  Christian  and 
not  a  monk." 

Another  of  the  boys  with  his  father  went  to 
the  home  of  a  friend.  Here  they  hid  for  two 
days.  Being  obliged  to  leave  this  place  they 
fled  under  cover  of  the  darkness  to  a  place 
twenty  miles  away,  called  the  "  Jade  Mountain," 
where  they  remained  a  few  days  longer.  Pur- 
sued by  the  Boxers  they  went  to  a  small  town 
two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  their  home 
and  put  up  at  an  inn.  Here  the  Boxers  came  to 
inspect  all  guests,  to  find  if  there  were  any 
Christians  among  them. 

"Examine  me  first,"  said  the  father,  presenting 
himself  before  them. 

"  Take  off  your  cap,"  said  the  head  Boxer. 

He  did  so.  They  first  rubbed  his  forehead 
between  the  eyes  and  above  the  nose  to  see  if 
there  were  a  cross  there,  for  the  Boxers  believed 
that  all  Christians  could  be  detected  by  this 
sign,  and  many  Christians  were  so  afraid  that  It 
was  true  that  they  felt  compelled  to  wear  a  hat 
drawn  down  over  their  forehead  all  summer. 
Finding.no  cross,  they  breathed  lightly  on  the 
spot  to  see  if  the  cross  could  be  brought  out  in 
this  way,  but  none  appeared. 

"  You  are  not  Christians,"  said  the  Boxers,  "or 
you  would  have  a  cross  there." 


STUDENTS  OF  PEKING  UNIVERSITY    137 

The  father  and  son  then  purchased  pens,  ink 
and  books  and  visited  all  the  native  schools  as 
booksellers  ;  but  this  proving  unprofitable  busi- 
ness, and  their  money  being  exhausted,  they 
hired  themselves  with  a  family  to  work  for  their 
board,  which  position  they  kept  till  the  Boxers 
were  dispersed. 

In  some  cases  whole  families  fled  to  the  Great 
Wall  and  remained  in  one  of  the  towers  until  all 
danger  had  passed  ;  others  went  to  the  homes  of 
relatives  but  only  to  be  told  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  receive  them,  as  those  who  entertained 
Christians,  even  though  they  were  members  of 
their  own  families,  would  be  regarded  as  follow- 
ers of  the  foreigners.  Two  of  the  students  fled 
to  Mongolia,  laboring  as  common  day-laborers 
to  secure  food  on  the  way,  and  there  found  po- 
sitions as  teachers  of  schools  ;  instead  of"  board- 
ing around  "  the  children  brought  them  small 
quantities  of  money  or  meat,  as  was  most  con- 
venient to  their  parents. 

At  the  close  of  the  siege  a  number  of  the 
graduates  and  most  of  the  members  of  the  higher 
classes  were  employed  as  interpreters  for  the 
officers  and  soldiers  until  school  opened,  or  until 
the  country  was  in  a  sufficiently  settled  condition 
to  justify  them  in  returning  to  their  work. 
When  duty  called  they  promptly  gave  up  posi- 
tions in  which  they  were  getting  $50  to  $100 
per  month  and  returned  to  their  work,  as  preach- 
ers or  teachers,  on  $5  to  $10  per  month. 


138  CHINESE  HEROES 


EXPERIENCE  OF  THE  STUDENTS  OF  THE 
PEKING  GIRLS'  HIGH  SCHOOL 

In  the  spring  of  1900,  the  26th  year  of 
Kuang  Hsii,  commencement  was  to  have  oc- 
curred on  the  loth  of  the  5th  moon.  On  the 
iith  we  were  to  go  home,  but  on  account  of 
the  Boxer  uprising  the  examinations  were  four 
days  earlier,  being  completed  on  the  6th,  and 
it  was  decided  that  we  might  return  home  with 
the  preachers  at  the  close  of  Conference.  It 
had  never  occurred  to  us  that  the  persecutions 
would  be  so  fierce  that  this  hope  could  not  be 
realized. 

As  it  became  obvious  that  we  must  forego  all 
expectation  of  seeing  our  parents,  and  as  the 
daily  reports  of  the  Boxer  disturbances  came  in 
from  all  sides,  the  girls  became  more  and  more 
agitated.  There  seemed  to  be  nothing  on  which 
we  could  depend,  and  we  resolved  to  place  our- 
selves, body,  soul  and  spirit,  with  all  we  had,  in 
the  hands  of  the  Lord.  All  day  we  gathered  in 
twos  and  threes,  or  in  a  general  group,  and  spent 
the  time  in  prayer.  We  sang,  but  it  was  in  our 
hearts ;  for  we  dared  not  utter  a  sound,  knowing 
that  Tung  Fu-h'siang's  soldiers,  who  held  the  city 
wall  beside  the  school,  were  ready  to  destroy  us 
at  any  moment. 


PEKING  GIRLS'  HIGH  SCHOOL  141 

On  the  evening  of  the  i  ith  a  messenger  came 
on  horseback  to  say  that  it  was  the  intention  of 
a  band  of  hoodlums  to  loot  the  school  and  carry 
away  the  girls.  On  hearing  this  the  principal 
informed  us  that  we  must  watch  and  be  ready 
at  any  time  during  the  day  or  night,  for  if  the 
Boxers  came  she  would  ring  the  bell,  which 
would  be  the  sign  that  we  must  all  gather  at 
once  in  the  schoolroom,  her  idea  being  that  if 
we  were  to  die  we  would  all  die  together.  When 
we  heard  this  we  were  frightened  almost  to 
death.  We  could  not  sleep,  or  if  we  slept  it  w^as 
but  for  a  moment,  for  we  dared  not  take  off  even 
our  shoes.  Most  of  the  night  we  spent  in  prayer 
When  the  morning  dawned  clear  and  bright  the 
Boxers  had  not  come  and  our  hearts  were  filled 
with  gratitude.  From  this  time  forward  the 
Boxers  thought  of  nothing  except  our  injury, 
and  our  principal  exercised  all  her  ingenuity  in 
devising  ways  and  means  of  preserving  our  lives. 

On  the  evening  of  the  12th  we  were  ordered 
to  prepare  to  go  and  sleep  in  the  church,  as 
twenty  foreign  soldiers  had  come  from  the 
American  Legation  and  were  then  guarding  the 
place.  At  six  in  the  morning  we  returned  to  the 
school.  All  day  the  men  built  barricades  and 
watched  for  the  enemy ;  and  the  girls,  not  being 
able  to  work,  received  the  women  refugees,  pre- 
pared them  food,  and  kept  watch  lest  the  enemy 
burn  our  buildings. 

On  the   night  of  the    13th  the   Boxers  deter- 


142  CHINESE  HEROES 

mined  to  get  the  blood  of  the  school  girls  to 
offer  in  sacrifice  to  their  gods.  In  the  evening 
we  gave  ourselves  into  the  Lord's  hands  and 
went  to  sleep  in  the  church  ;  for  it  had  been  so 
well  fortified  that  it  was  hoped  they  would  not 
be  able  to  break  in,  and  if  they  did  it  would  be 
a  good  place  from  which  to  go  to  heaven. 

On  the  morning  of  the  14th  we  again  thanked 
the  Lord  for  raising  us  as  it  were  from  the  dead, 
but  throughout  the  day  we  knew  not  what  an 
hour,  a  minute,  a  second,  might  bring  forth. 
Daily  we  thanked  the  Lord  for  what  was  passed 
and  prayed  for  protection  in  the  future.  Once 
more,  on  the  15th,  the  Boxers  determined  that 
they  would  have  our  blood  for  their  gods,  but 
again  they  were  foiled.  At  midnight  on  the 
1 6th,  just  outside  the  city  wall  opposite  the 
school,  night  was  made  hideous  by  a  vast  multi- 
tude of  Boxers  screaming  at  the  top  of  their 
voices,  "  Kill !  kill!"  We  thought  they  would 
surely  effect  an  entrance  during  the  night,  but 
when  mornine  came  we  were  once  more  able  to 
thank  the  Lord  for  protection. 

On  the  evening  of  the  17th  they  burned  the 
street  chapel  and  other  churches  and  missions 
throughout  the  city,  and  the  i8th  was  spent  in 
guarding  against  their  entrance  to  the  compound 
or  burning  our  buildings.  Since  they  had  failed 
to  get  our  blood  on  the  15th  they  decided  that 
they  would  have  it  on  the  19th,  but  once  more 
they  were  unsuccessful.     If  they  came  by   day- 


PEKING  GIRLS'  HIGH  SCHOOL  143 

light  we  were  ordered  to  gather  in  the  north  room 
of  the  school  where  the  soldiers  could  protect  us. 

The  school  court  was  large,  and  it  was  feared 
that  if  they  came  upon  us  suddenly  in  our  sur- 
prise we  would  suffer  defeat  ;  we  therefore  sta- 
tioned girls  in  the  upstairs  rooms  to  keep  a 
lookout  and  warn  us  if  they  came.  We  were 
divided  into  six  companies  and  kept  watch  from 
6  A.  M.  to  6  p.  M.  As  there  were  four  courts  in  the 
compound  we  put  four  girls  in  each  company,  so 
that  if  anything  happened  in  any  part  of  the 
premises  it  would  be  reported  at  once.  This 
condition  of  affairs  continued  until  ten  o'clock 
of  the  24th,  when  Mrs.  Jewell  with  a  sad  face 
announced  to  us  that  the  American  Minister 
had  ordered  all  the  foreigners  to  leave  the  mis- 
sion and  go  to  the  Legation. 

When  she  said  this  every  one  of  us  burst  into 
tears,  and  while  she  was  trying  to  comfort  us 
Miss  Terrell  brought  the  good  news  that  a  second 
message  had  arrived  saying  that  not  only  the 
girls  but  all  the  Chinese  Christians  should  go 
with  the  foreigners,  and  our  joy  was  as  great  as 
our  grief  had  been. 

It  was  the  next  day  that  the  treachery  of  the 
Tsung-li  Ya-men  leaked  out.  They  had  pre- 
viously offered  an  escort  to  the  foreign  ministers 
to  induce  them  to  leave  the  city,  requesting  them 
to  go  to  the  Ya-men  and  talk  the  matter  over, 
assuring  them  that  the  soldiers  would  meet  and 
protect  them  and  that  they  stood  ready  to  pro- 


144  CHINESE  HEROES 

tect  the  native  Christians.  No  one  suspected 
that  it  was  their  intention  to  massacre  them,  as 
was  the  case  with  the  German  Minister.  Thence- 
forward we  were  aware  of  their  deceit  and  their 
intention,  which  was  to  massacre  the  Christians 
as  soon  as  they  could  induce  the  foreigners  to 
leave  the  city. 

In  harmony  with  the  order  of  the  American 
Minister  we  left  Hsiao  Hsun  Hu  Tuns:  and  fled 
to  Su  Wang  Fu.  Prince  Su  had  been  unwilling 
to  give  it  up,  lest  he  himself  should  be  supposed 
to  be  in  league  with  the  foreigners,  but  he 
told  Prof  Janes  and  Dr.  Morrison  that  they 
might  batter  down  the  gates  and  he  would  flee 
and  we  would  have  it,  which  would  prevent  his 
losing  favor  with  our  enemies  and  preserve  his 
head.  These  two  gentlemen  made  it  their  busi- 
ness to  see  that  it  was  habitable  and  defensible. 

When  we  arrived  we  pulled  dry  grass  and 
scattered  it  about  to  sit  upon.  The  largest  of 
the  buildings  was  prepared  for  our  accommo- 
dation, and  in  this  we  dwelt.  We  arrived  there 
at  4  p.  M.  and  half  an  hour  later  an  innumerable 
company  of  Boxers  together  with  Tung  Fu- 
h'siang's  soldiers  rushed  up  Legation  Street,  in- 
tending to  massacre  all  the  Christians,  but  were 
stopped  by  the  foreign  soldiers.  As  we  had  just 
arrived  and  had  but  few  soldiers  we  were  unpre- 
pared to  defend  ourselves  against  an  enemy 
which  was  like  the  sands  of  the  sea  for  mul- 
titude;   we    girls    therefore   resorted   to   prayer, 


PEKING  GIRLS'  HIGH  SCHOOL  147 

asking  the  Lord  to  open  a  way  and  help  the  men 
to  fight,  and  we  soon  discovered  that  Prince 
Ch'Ing's  troops  had  overcome  the  Boxers  for  the 
time. 

About  all  we  could  do  was  to  make  sand  bags 
for  our  defenders.  The  bullets  fell  like  hail  and 
we  did  not  dare  go  out  of  the  house.  The  Box- 
ers set  fire  on  all  sides  in  the  hope  of  burning  us 
out,  and  the  fiercer  the  fire  burned  the  closer  we 
clung  to  the  Lord.  On  the  28th  there  were  con- 
flagrations everywhere  and  the  fighting  was 
almost  hand  to  hand,  there  being  only  a  wall 
between  our  men  and  the  enemy,  who  were 
throwing  bricks  at  each  other  as  well  as  fighting 
with  weapons.  The  building  next  to  the  one  in 
which  we  were  living  caught  fire  and  in  the  twink- 
ling of  an  eye  our  house  was  in  flames,  and  w^e 
were  compelled  to  flee.  Though  we  ran  directly 
across  the  line  of  battle  not  one  of  us  was  killed, 
but  we  had  hardly  saved  ourselves  when,  to 
our  great  dismay,  two  of  our  pastors,  Wang 
Ch'eng-p  ei  and  Liu  Chi-hslen,  had  fallen. 

Thence  we  fled  to  a  pawn-shop.  It  was  now 
nine  o'clock  at  night  and  we  had  not  yet  had 
our  breakfast.  As  there  was  rice  in  the  pawn- 
shop we  set  to  work  to  prepare  something  to  eat, 
but  before  It  was  ready  fire  broke  out  in  the 
region  of  our  new  refuge.  We  fled  to  the  Mon- 
gol Encampment,  hoping  to  be  safe  there,  but 
as  they  had  succeeded  in  extinguishing  the  fire 
at  the  Fu  we  were  ordered  to  return  to  our  orlg- 


148  CHINESE  HEROES 

inal  dwelling-place.  From  that  time  until  the 
2nd  of  the  6th  month  there  were  fires  and  fight- 
ing every  day,  and  our  home  was  once  more 
almost  destroyed. 

This  time  we  fled  to  Chan  Shih  Fu  (the  in- 
stitution that  takes  charge  of  the  education  of 
the  heir  apparent),  but  returned  to  the  large 
building  in  the  evening.  That  night  "  we  could 
not  sleep  a  wink,"  for  the  reason  that  the  build- 
ing was  half  shot  away.  We  were  all  huddled 
together  in  one  corner  and  one  of  our  number 
was  wounded,  and  afterwards  died.  The  fire 
raged  ;  it  seemed  in  reality  like  a  great  sun,  and 
we  knew  not  at  what  moment  it  would  consume 
us,  nevertheless  our  trust  was  in  the  Lord  and 
we  were  at  peace. 

On  the  evening  of  the  3rd  our  big  building 
caught  fire  and  was  utterly  destroyed.  We  again 
fled  to  the  Mongol  Encampment.  That  night 
it;  was  terrible ;  the  Chinese  soldiers  seemed  de- 
termined to  rush  upon  and  destroy  us,  but  dur- 
the  flashes  of  lightning  the  foreign  soldiers  en- 
countered and  defeated  them  and  they  fled. 
On  the  5th  of  the  6th  month  the  Boxers  took 
an  oath  to  annihilate  us  or  be  blotted  out  them- 
selves. We  prayed  that  their  oath  might  be 
fruitless  and  our  prayers  were  answered. 

When  our  food  was  almost  exhausted  we  dis- 
covered a  grainshop  where  there  was  an  abun- 
dance of  wheat  and  broomcorn.  As  there  were 
not  mills  enouoh  to  erind  the  wheat  we  ate  it 


PEKING  GIRLS'  HIGH  SCHOOL  149 

whole,  and  what  flour  we  had  we  saved  for  the 
soldiers.  It  seemed  sad  that  we  were  idle  while 
the  men  were  overworked,  but  it  was  not  long 
until  we  began  sewing  again  on  sand-bags,  mak- 
ing thirty,  fifty,  one  hundred  a  day.  Each  day 
we  washed  clothes  for  the  foreigners  in  the  Le- 
gation, as  they  had  brought  but  few  with  them, 
but  this  was  not  enough  to  keep  us  busy,  and  so 
when  there  were  not  enough  men  to  do  the 
work  Mrs.  Jewell  divided  us  up  into  companies, 
we  wrapped  our  queues  around  our  heads  like 
boys  and  joined  in  the  work  of  carrying  bricks. 

By  the  latter  part  of  the  6th  month  there  had 
been  so  many  of  the  Chinese  killed  that  the 
decaying  bodies  caused  a  continual  stench,  as 
there  had  been  no  opportunity  to  bury  them. 
The  Chinese  asked  for  a  truce,  saying  that  from 
this  time  they  would  fight  no  more,  but  their 
idea  was  simply  to  bury  their  dead  and  begin 
the  battle  again.  Happily  the  foreigners  were 
not  deceived  by  their  wiles,  and  continued  their 
work  of  fortification. 

All  lines  of  communication  between  us  and 
the  world  had  been  severed  and  the  British  Le- 
gation repeatedly  sent  couriers  to  Tientsin  to 
let  the  world  know  of  our  condition.  Each  time 
a  courier  left  we  prayed  that  he  might  go  and 
return  in  safety.  Every  day  we  anxiously 
awaited  the  arrival  of  the  foreign  soldiers.  On 
the  19th  of  the  7th  month  we  heard  the  firing 
of  their  guns  and  our  joy  was  such  that  we  could 


150  CHINESE  HEROES 

not  sleep.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  20th  the 
first  of  the  troops  arrived  by  way  of  the  Water 
Gate  and  they  were  all  in  by  evening.  There- 
after we  spent  our  time  washing  clothes  for  the 
soldiers. 

From  the  Legation  we  were  first  moved  into 
a  house  in  the  Russian  section,  but  this  we  soon 
vacated  for  the  accommodation  of  the  soldiers, 
and  on  the  26th  of  the  7th  moon  we  were  finally 
settled  in  the  American  section  of  the  Tartar 
City,  west  of  the  Ch'ien-men. 

The  character  of  the  food  and  air  during  the 
6th  month  had  left  many  of  the  girls  in  a  de- 
bilitated condition  which  began  to  manifest  itself 
in  fever  soon  after  we  reached  our  new  home, 
and  we  divided  ourselves  into  committees  to 
care  for  them.  As  we  had  lost  all  our  posses- 
sions the  principal  sought  work  for  us,  that  we 
might  be  able  to  earn  enough  with  our  needles 
to  clothe  our  backs.  But  when  the  8th  month 
arrived  we  were  still  without  wadded  garments, 
at  which  time  a  Mr.  Yang  from  the  Mongol  En- 
campment gave  us  a  large  number  of  old  gar- 
ments which  when  we  washed  and  altered  sup- 
plied our  needs.  These,  with  what  we  earned 
with  our  needles  or  by  washing,  enabled  us  to 
provide  ourselves  with  clothes  for  the  winter 
and  we  decided  to  begin  our  studies. 

We  were,  however,  without  books.  We  bor- 
rowed what  we  could  from  the  American  Board, 
but  still  found   it  necessary  for  several  girls  to 


PEKING  GIRLS'  HIGH  SCHOOL  151 

study  from  the  same  book.  We  were  also  without 
either  schoolroom  or  dining  room,  so  that  we 
were  forced  to  eat,  study  and  sleep  in  our  cham- 
bers. We  were  without  a  chapel,  but  we  all 
gathered  together  and  worshiped  in  the  court. 
Our  hymnals  and  Bibles  w^ere  nearly  all  lost,  the 
entire  school  having  saved  but  five  New  Testa- 
ments and  six  hymnals,  but  a  little  later  Mr. 
King  gave  us  each  a  Bible  and  we  bought  forty 
or  fifty  hymnals.  After  a  few  weeks  we  made 
such  alterations  in  two  of  the  buildings  as  to  en- 
able us  to  utilize  one  for  a  chapel  and  the  other 
for  a  dining  room. 

When  all  these  things  were  arranged  we  be- 
gan school  in  earnest,  the  elder  girls  acting  as 
teachers  for  the  younger,  spending  any  extra 
time  we  had  on  work  which  Miss  Oilman  sold 
for  us  whenever  she  had  opportunity.  Her 
kindness  to  us  is  beyond  the  power  of  words  to 
express,  even  her  salary  was  spent  in  purchasing 
materials  for  us  to  use.  When  she  was  about 
to  return  to  America  we  made  a  number  of  dolls 
which  she  took  with  her,  hoping  that  she  would 
be  able  to  sell  them  there.  When  we  were  in 
our  most  straitened  circumstances  we  received 
aid  which  was  subscribed  and  sent  to  us  by  some 
of  the  Japanese  and  Fukien  school  girls. 

Such  were  some  of  the  experiences  of  the 
students  of  the  Peking  Oirls'  High  School 


15S  CHINESE  HEROES 


THE   FLIGHT  OF  TEACHERS  LIU  FANG  AND 
WANG  T'lEN-HSIANG 

After  the  Conference  at  Peking  many  of  the 
brethren  urged  Pastor  Ch'en  Heng-te  not  to  re- 
turn to  his  work  at  Lao  T'Ing,  but  his  answer 
was,  "  Where  the  flock  is  there  the  shepherd 
should  be,  and  whether  we  Hve  or  die  we  are  In 
the  Lord's  keeping."  The  railroad  had  been 
destroyed,  and  he  and  Presiding  Elder  Wang 
Ch'ing-yun  hired  carts  and  we  all  started  across 
country  together.  About  eighty  II  from  Peking 
we  met  the  troops  of  Tung  Fu-h'siang  on  their 
way  to  the  city,  and  though  we  had  Christian 
books  In  our  carts  they  were  not  discovered 
and  we  suffered  no  Inconvenience.  Though  the 
road  was  quiet  all  the  way  to  Tang  Shan  we 
did  not  dare  to  let  the  people  know  we  were 
Christians,  and  to  better  prevent  inquiry  we 
concluded  to  call  our  presiding  elder  Chang- 
kuei-ti.  Some  of  the  students  at  times  forgot 
this  rule  and  called  him  pastor,  but  a  stare  or  a 
scowl  brought  them  to  their  senses  and  we  ar- 
rived at  T  ang  Shan  in  safety.  We  knew  we  were 
surrounded  by  danger  on  every  side,  yet  our 
method  of  protecting  ourselves  by  calling  our 
chief  pastor  "  Boss  "  furnished  the  younger  mem- 
bers of  the  company  with  no  little  amusement. 


L.ivi  Fang  and  Fajbailap'  "    :;        ^    ^"'     «     i  ^''■,    ' 

The  older  man  is  Mr.  Liu,  head  of  the  Industrial  School  of  Peking  University, 
builder  of  Durbin  Hall  and  Asbury  Church.  He  was  at  Tsun-hua  superintending 
the  building  of  the  Girls'  School  when  the  Boxer  trouble  began.  On  his  way  home 
he  was  captured  while  at  the  inn,  and  taken  before  a  Boxer  chief,  by  whom  he  was 
liberated.  On  reaching  home  he  found  that  his  wife  had  been  killed,  and  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Li  (page  217),  carried  to  Prince  Tuan's  palace.  He  hid  until  the 
trouble^  was  past,  and  is  now  helping  to  rebuild  the  mission.  (The  lady  in  front 
of  him  is  his  wife,  the  child  his  son.) 


c  c   c  c       c 

o  c     c  r    c  c 

c  c      c  c   c  c 

c  c      c  f  c    c 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  TWO  TEACHERS       155 

When  we  arrived  in  the  region  of  Lan  Chou, 
where  Liu  Fang  was  pastor,  and  principal  of  the 
Intermediate  School,  we  could  not  but  compare 
the  conditions  with  what  they  were  when  we 
left.  Two  weeks  before  not  a  Boxer  was  to  be 
seen  anywhere,  now  they  were  like  grasshoppers 
which  the  wind  had  brought.  Many  of  the 
people  supposed  we  had  been  killed  in  Peking, 
and  various  reports  were  circulated  to  the  effect 
that  we  had  brought  foreign  soldiers  and  secreted 
them  in  the  church,  with  foreign  arms  for  our 
own  defense.  On  Sunday  the  people  gathered 
at  the  church  as  they  gather  at  a  market-place. 

We  arrived  at  An  Ke  Chuang  on  the  15th  of 
the  5th  month.  Rumor  was  rife  in  all  this  sec- 
tion, and  the  Lan  Chou  church  was  closed  and 
sealed  by  the  official.  During  the  night  Liu 
Fang  brought  his  wife  to  An  Ke  Chuang  on  a 
donkey  and  dwelt  with  me  for  a  time,  and  a  few 
days  later  Pastor  Chen  Heng-te,  Wang  Mao- 
yin.  Pang  Chan-hai  and  others  fled  to  this 
place.  On  the  12th  of  the  6th  moon  the  Boxers 
arose  and  to  avoid  trouble  the  elders  of  the 
village  closed  and  sealed  the  chapel,  the  Chris- 
tians scattered,  and  Liu  Fang  and  I,  after  send- 
ing our  wives  away  to  the  homes  of  Christians 
where  we  thought  they  would  be  safe,  remained 
in  the  chapel  as  a  guard.  The  13th  being  a 
holiday  a  number  of  Boxers  came  and  examined 
the  church  door ;  the  village  elders  interfered 
and  trouble  was  avoided,    but  as  the  situation 


156  CHINESE  HEROES 

seemed  dangerous  we  spent  the  night  in  the 
homes  of  Christians.  The  next  day  we  fled  to 
T'ang  Shan,  but  finding  It  unsettled  there  we 
returned  to  An  Ke  Chuang.  On  the  train  we 
met  Ch'en  Heng-te,  who  had  been  to  T'ang 
Shan  to  prepare  a  place  for  his  family.  At 
Chang  Ke  Chuang,  north  of  Lan  Chou,  we 
found  a  place  where  we  could  live  for  a  short 
time  and  on  the  19th  we  went  to  Heng  Shan 
YIng.  Here  we  hoped  to  get  a  boat  for 
Chefoo,  but  as  Ch'en  Heng-te  had  given  up  the 
hope  of  such  good  fortune  we  did  the  same. 

On  the  20th  the  effects  of  Mrs.  Ch'en  were 
seized  by  the  Boxers.  Danger  seemed  to  be  on 
every  side  and  so  we  "  slept "  In  a  "  lodge  in  a 
garden  of  cucumbers."  The  night  was  spent  in 
prayer,  and  on  inquiry  we  learned  that  the  Box- 
ers had  set  Mrs.  Ch'en  free  but  had  kept  all  her 
things.  We  returned  to  the  -chapel,  where  we 
remained  a  few  days  thanking  God  that  no  one 
was  killed.  Daily  we  prayed,  read  our  Bibles 
and  conversed  about  our  spiritual  condition,  be- 
coming more  and  more  firm  in  our  religious  con- 
victions and  having  greater  peace. 

Rumor  arose  among  the  villagers  that  we 
were  sorcerers,  and  a  disposition  was  manifested 
to  rob  us  of  all  our  possessions,  but  on  the  ist 
of  the  7th  moon  word  came  from  one  Pi  an,  of 
the  village  of  Chun  YIng,  to  the  effect  that  he 
desired  to  consult  with  us  regarding  various  im- 
portant matters,  possibly,  we  suppose,  concerning 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  TWO  TEACHERS       157 

our  freedom  and  the  peace  of  the  neighborhood  ; 
but  on  inquiry  we  found  that  he  hoped  to  bring 
about  peace  by  inducing  us  to  deny  the  faith, 
and  we  concluded  that  unless  we  fled  to  a  dis- 
tant place  the  persecutions  might  be  so  strong 
as  to  tempt  us  to  recant. 

Just  at  this  time  a  Christian  named  Wang 
Yu-t'ing,  a  colporteur,  who  had  already  been 
captured  by  the  Boxers  under  charge  of  poison- 
ing the  wells  and  had  been  liberated  by  the 
Boxer  chief  because  of  his  fearless  testimony  to 
his  faith,  joined  us  from  Tientsin.  He  told  us 
that  the  Boxer  leader  had  ordered  him  to  be 
returned  to  the  place  whence  he  had  been 
brought  and  kept  until  he  could  be  delivered  to 
the  district  judge,  but  that  at  night  he  had  come 
to  him  secretly  and  during  a  long  conversation 
had  asked  the  reason  for  his  fearless  courage 
and  the  nature  of  his  religion,  whereupon  he 
had  planned  his  escape  and  requested  that  when 
the  trouble  was  over  and  peace  restored  he 
would  return  and  teach  the  Boxer  leader  about 
this  strange  way. 

Mr.  Wang  informed  us  that  Tientsin  had  been 
successful  in  overcoming  the  Boxers,  that  the 
church  was  still  standing  and  the  people  alive, 
and  we  concluded  to  flee  thither  as  a  place  of 
safety.  We  knelt  and  prayed  that  the  Lord 
would  guide  us,  tears  streaming  from  our  eyes, 
feeling  that  there  was  neither  joy  in  life  nor  fear 
in  death,  and  committed  ourselves  into  his  hands. 


158  CHINESE  HEROES 

We  started  on  the  3d  of  the  7th  moon.  The 
road  was  muddy  and  we  were  compelled  to  go 
barefoot.  At  Lei  Chuang  we  boarded  the  train 
on  which  we  traveled  to  Ho  T'o,  where  we  hired 
a  small  boat  and  on  the  4th  arrived  at  Pan  Erh 
Chuang,  within  seventy  li  of  Tientsin.  As  we 
did  not  dare  travel  the  great  road  we  went 
around  by  Pei  Ts  ang  and  found  ourselves  in  a 
camp  of  Chinese  soldiers.  We  observed  the 
position  of  their  large  guns  and  cavalry  (which 
we  revealed  to  the  Allies  after  we  arrived  at 
Tientsin  and  it  was  of  no  little  service  to  them), 
and  as  we  were  faint  we  sat  down  by  the  side  of 
the  road  and  drank  some  water  and  ate  a  melon. 

We  crossed  the  river  twice,  but  found  the 
road  almost  impassable,  and  rested  at  a  small 
village.  The  people  told  us  it  would  be  difficult 
to  get  into  Tientsin,  and  for  a  while  we  hesi- 
tated but  decided  to  try,  since  to  go  back  was 
impossible.  Our  feet  were  covered  with  blisters 
and  our  legs  ached  but  we  limped  forward,  pray- 
ing all  the  time  for  grace  and  protection.  In 
this  condition  we  took  advantage  of  a  small 
boat  that  overtook  us  and  rode  to  the  gate  of 
Tientsin,  where  we  arrived  about  sundown.  W^e 
passed  through  the  Ying  gate  and  hastened  to 
the  West  eate,  but  as  we  could  find  no  inn  we 
were  compelled  to  spend  the  night  in  a  small 
cake  shop  or  restaurant. 

The  next  morning  we  went  along  the  river 
side  to  the  East  gate,  having  been  relieved  of 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  TWO  TEACHERS       159 

our  Mexican  dollars  by  the  Japanese  soldiers 
whom  we  met  by  the  way.  Later  we  went  to 
the  South  gate,  where  the  American  soldiers 
were  quartered,  and  asked  them  to  give  us  a 
pass  to  enter  the  foreign  settlement.  They  did 
so,  but  we  had  no  sooner  entered  the  Concession 
than  Wang  T'ien-hsiang  and  Wang  Yu-t'ing 
were  taken  and  beaten  by  the  French  soldiers, 
Liu  Fang  being  set  free.  He  hastened  on  in 
hope  of  reaching  the  Methodist  mission  and  find- 
ing Mr.  Pyke,  who  would 
rescue  his  friends  ;  but  other 
soldiers  took  him  and  kept 
him  at  coolie  work  during 
the  entire  day,  though  it 
was  intensely  hot,  without 
either  food  or  drink. 

Wang    T'ien-hsiang    was 
soon   set  free  and  went   in 

"Wang  T*ien-Ksiang' 

search  of  Liu  Fang,  but  not 

findinor  him  he  mixed  in  with  the  coolies  of  the 
Japanese  and  went  with  them  through  the  French 
settlement  till  he  came  near  to  Wesley  Chapel, 
where  he  saw  Mr.  Pyke  and  other  friends,  and 
he  was  not  able  to  control  himself,  but  tears 
gushed  from  his  eyes  and  he  thanked  God  for 
his  rescue.  In  the  evening  Liu  Fang  and  Wang 
Yii-t'ing  were  set  free.  Weary  and  faint  they 
came  to  the  chapel  weeping  tears  of  joy.  Here 
we  lived  for  a  month.  The  hardships  of  the  way 
left  Liu   Fane  in  a  weak  condition  and  he  was 


160  CHINESE  HEROES 

prostrated  with  fever,  but  the  others  were  put  to 
work  either  as  laborers  or  in  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  which  was  opened  inside 
the  city,  until  it  was  safe  to  return  to  our  homes. 
Here  we  arrived  a  few  weeks  later  to  find  all  our 
possessions  taken  away,  our  friends  having  suf- 
fered as  much  as  we,  and  to  crown  it  all  we  were 
kept  at  the  point  of  death  for  some  weeks  with 
typhoid  fever.  But  none  of  these  things  moved 
us.  We  were  glad  that  we  could  bear  the  cross 
for  Christ's  sake,  and  remembering  his  w^ords, 
that  "  he  that  taketh  not  his  cross,  and  followeth 
after  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me,"  we  renewed  our 
determination  to  follow  Christ. 


MARTYRS  161 


MARTYRS 

Of  the  Christians  who  were  faithful  unto 
death  we  have  spoken  at  some  length  concerning 
Pastors  Ch'en  Ta-yung  and  Wang  Ch  eng-p  ei, 
who  had  already  been  proved  by  years  of  service 
and  were  thus  rewarded  with  a  martyr's  crown. 

There  were  others,  of  equal  faith  and  devotion, 
better  prepared  to  battle  with  the  new  conditions 
now  being  thrust  upon  the  Mongolian  race  by 
Western  governments  and  peoples,  both  because 
they  were  of  the  second  or  third  generation  of 
Christian  manhood  and  womanhood  and  because 
in  their  youth  they  had  secured  the  advantages 
of  a  better  education.  Among  these  none  stand 
out  more  prominently  than 

WANG  CHIH-SHEN 

He  was  a  member  of  the  senior  class  of  Peking 
University,  always  in  the  front  rank  of  the  best 
students  as  to  appearance,  conduct,  piety  and 
scholarship,  and  ready  to  enter  upon  a  life  of 
usefulness.  During  a  revival  service,  the  in- 
fluence of  which  was  felt  throughout  the  various 
churches  and  schools  of  Peking  and  vicinity,  he 
found  the  fullness  of  blessing  only  a  few  months 
before  he  was  called  upon  to  endure  persecution. 

A  few  days  before  the  outbreak,  at  the  close  of 
11 


162  CHINESE  HEROES 

the  college  year,  he  went  to  his  home,  two  hun- 
dred miles  distant  from  Peking.  When  the 
storm  approached  he  was  urged  by  all  his  friends 
to  escape,  as  he  was  a  marked  man,  but  he  re- 
fused to  desert  his  family.  He  was  taken  by  the 
Boxers  and  was  offered  the  choice  of  recantation 
or  death.  To  make  It  easier  for  him  to  deny 
his  Master  It  was  proposed  by  the  village  elders 
that  some  of  his  friends  be  allowed  to  worship 
the  Idols  in  his  stead,  In  which  case  they  could 
secure  his  release.  "  No,"  said  he  ;  "  I  will 
neither  burn  incense  to  idols  myself  nor  allow 
any  one  to  do  it  for  me;  not  to  mention  the  fact 
that  it  would  be  denying  my  Lord,  I  should 
never  dare  to  look  my  teachers  In  the  face 
again." 

He  then  exhorted  his  persecutors  to  personal 
repentance  and  an  acceptance  of  Christianity. 
They  ordered  him  to  cease  his  preaching,  which 
he  refused  to  do,  whereupon  they  cut  off  his 
lips  to  stop  his  exhortations.  His  arms  and  limbs 
were  then  severed  from  his  body,  which  was 
hacked  to  pieces. 

Not  less  noble  was  the  death  of 

DR.  WANG  CHUNG-LIN 

The. first  church  established  In  his  native  vil- 
lage was  opened  in  his  grandfathers  home  by 
Rev.  George  Davis  during  one  of  his  trips  on 
the  Nan  Kung  circuit.  At  that  time  Chung-lin 
was  a  small  but  clever  and  mischievous  boy,  in- 


MARTYRS  163 

clined  to  have  a  will  of  his  own.  Both  his  father 
and  grandfather  were  anxious  that  he  become  a 
scholar,  and  so  sent  him  to  a  Chinese  school. 
There  he  was  under  strict  supervision,  while  at 
home  the  parental  government  and  mandates 
were  equally  rigid,  until  the  boy  concluded  he 
could  submit  to  it  no  longer.  He  begged  a  few 
cash  from  his  father  daily  on  the  pretense  of 
buying  little  things,  all  which  he  saved  to  help 
pay  the  expense  of  an  adventure  which  he  pro- 
posed soon  to  undertake. 

When  all  was  In  readiness  he  wrapped  up  his 
bedding — but  finding  this  too  large  a  bundle  he 
left  it  behind — took  a  dollar  of  his  father's 
money  and  turning  his  back  upon  his  home 
started  out,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  to  face  an 
unsympathetic  world,  like  many  another  lad  be- 
fore and  since  his  time.  His  destination  was 
"  outside  the  Great  Wall ;"  an  Indefinite  some- 
where, nowhere,  anywhere,  everywhere.  He  did 
what  odd  jobs  a  boy  of  that  age  can  find,  to  fill 
an  aching  void  which  every  uncared-for  youth 
of  fourteen  constantly  carries  with  him,  with  but 
Indifferent  success,  until  finally  it  dawned  upon 
him,  after  two  years  of  wandering,  that  his  parents 
were  anxious  to  see  him  and  longing  for  his 
return. 

One  day  as  he  was  going  along  the  road 
weary  and  almost  starved,  he  met  an  old  woman 
whom  he  greeted  thus  : 

*'  Old  lady,  I  am  not  a  beggar,  but  I  am  very 


164  CHINESE  HEROES 

hungry;  could  you  not  give  me  something  to 
eat?" 

"  Go  along,  you  lazy,  worthless  boy,"  she  re- 
plied ;  "  how  dare  you,  a  big,  strong  boy,  ask  an 
old  woman  to  provide  you  with  food  ?  " 

This  made  him  feel  quite  ashamed  of  himself, 
especially  as  he  knew  he  was  not  a  beggar — 
though  in  truth  he  was  in  as  dire  distress  as  any 
beggar  could  be. 

He  went' to  an  Inn,  but  he  was  without  money 
to  pay  for  his  lodging  and  again  he  found  him- 
self compelled  to  beg,  which  with  the  rebuke 
the  old  woman  had  given  him  led  him  to  decide 
to  go  home. 

It  was  some  time  after  this  when  Dr.  H.  H. 
Lowry  during  one  of  his  missionary  tours  found 
him  at  his  home,  poring  over  various  Chinese 
medical  books,  and  brought  him  to  Peking.  His 
father  was  an  intelligent  man  and  was  made 
chapel  keeper,  while  the  boy  was  sent  to  school. 

For  some  years  he  studied  and  then  entered 
the  church  service  as  a  local  preacher,  but  his 
old  medical  tastes  still  clinging  to  him  he  asked 
to  be  taken  as  an  assistant  In  the  Dispensary. 
Still  later  he  entered  the  Medical  School,  from 
which  he  graduated,  and  then  completed  his 
course  in  the  Arts  Department. 

Before  the  Boxer  movement  had  reached 
Peking  he  sent  his  wife  and  children  to  his 
father's  home  while  he  remained  at  his  post  in 
Peking.     He  did  not  go  into  the  Legation,  think- 


MARTYRS  165 

ing,  as  did  many  others,  that  he  would  be  safer 
outside.  But  It  was  not  long  until  he  was  ar- 
rested by  the  Boxers  and  taken  Into  the  college 
campus,  where  all  kinds  of  threats  were  made 
and  Inducements  offered  to  lead  him  to  recant, 
but  all  to  no  purpose.  What  happened  then  we 
learned  from  our  water-carrier,  who  had  gone  as 
a  cook  Into  the  Boxer  camp. 

One  evening  after  they  had  massacred  a  num- 
ber of  Christians  near  the  college  he  heard  the 
following  conversation : 

"  That  pock-marked  fellow  was  a  brave  one."* 

•'  How  was  that?" 

"  We  wanted  him  to  recant  and  worship  idols, 
and  threatened  that  If  he  did  not  we  would  kill 
him.  It  was  a  pity  to  kill  as  fine  a  scholar  as  he 
was  and  we  did  not  want  to  do  It." 

"  What  did  he  say  }     Did  he  refuse  7  " 

"  Yes  ;  he  grated  his  teeth  together  and  said, 
*  We  are  four  generations  of  Christians,  my 
grandfather,  my  father,  myself  and  my  son,  and 
shall  I  be  the  first  to  recant  ?  Kill  me  If  you 
will ! '  " 

"What  did  you  do  .^^  Did  you  kill  a  man  of 
that  kind  }  " 

"  Yes ;  we  stuck  a  spear  into  him  twice  and 
threw  his  body  under  the  college  building." 

His  bones  and  hair,  with  those  of  several 
other  Christians,  were  found  among  the  ruins 
and  all  burled  together  In  the  college  campus, 

*  Wang  Chung-lin. 


166  CHINESE  HEROES 

where  we  hope  that  some  one  who  reads  this 
will  offer  to  erect  a  monument  over  them. 

Both  his  father  and  grandfather  were  massa- 
cred, and  only  his  wife  and  two  little  boys  are 
left, — but  their  story  is  left  for  the  future  to 
write. 

As  in  the  early  church,  so  in  China,  some  of 
the  noblest  and  bravest  of  our  martyred  dead 
were  women.  Amone  these  none  stand  out 
more  prominently,  both  because  of  what  they 
resisted  and  of  what  they  endured,  than  two  of 
the  young  lady  teachers  in  our  Woman's  For- 
eign Missionary  Society  Girls'  School  at  Tsun- 
hua,  one  hundred  miles  east  of  Peking.  The 
first  of  these  was 

HSU  HUI-FANG 

who  was  originally  a  Peking  school  girl.  She 
entered  when  she  was  but  four  years  old  and 
studied  till  she  was  nineteen,  being  at  that  time 
highly  esteemed  by  Miss  Cushman  because  of 
her  conduct  and  her  ability.  She  was  appointed 
as  a  teacher  in  the  girls'  school  at  Tsun-hua, 
where  she  taught  eleven  years.  She  was  at  the 
compound  in  Peking  when  the  trouble  arose, 
and  many  of  her  friends  urged  her  not  to  return 
to  Tsun-hua.  She  answered  :  "  Miss  Croucher 
has  made  me  responsible  for  the  girls  and  I  must 

go." 

She  had  been  there  but  a  short  time  when  the 
missionaries  were  ordered  to  go  to  Tientsin.     As 


MARTYRS  167 

we  have  already  seen,  in  Mrs.  Ch'in  s  story,  they 
spent  the  night  in  prayer,  divided  themselves 
into  companies  and  fled  to  the  homes  of  the 
Christians.  These  were  soon  looted  and  the 
girls  carried  off  prisoners.  They  pleaded  in  vain 
with  these  robbers  to  set  them  free.  Through 
the  intercession  of  Rev.  Liu  Chi-lun,  the  pastor, 
and  the  interference  of  the  official  they  were  lib- 
erated, but  as  she  was  without  a  home  no  one 
dared  to  receive  her. 

One  of  the  Christians  took  her  to  the  moun- 
tains, where  the  Boxers  followed  and  shot  her  in 
the  face.  As  the  wound  was  made  by  a  Chinese 
matchlock  it  did  not  prove  fatal,  and  being  with- 
out food  or  drink  they  were  forced  to  come  down 
to  the. plain.  She  was  once  more  caught  and 
twice  offered  life  and  wealth,  either  as  the  con- 
cubine of  a  high  official  or  the  second  wife  of  a 
wealthy  farmer,  but  she  refused  to  give  up  her 
religion  for  any  inducement  they  could  offer — 
and  this  through  thirty  days  of  trial  the  severity 
of  which  will  probably  never  be  known.  She 
was  finally  carried  off  to  P'ing  An  Ch'eng,  where 
an  attempt  was  made  to  behead  her,  but  the 
headsman's  sword  broke  in  twain  upon  her  neck 
and  the  rabble  rushed  in  and  pierced  her  with 
their  spears,  after  which  she  was  sliced  and 
burned.  She  was  "  faithful  unto  death,"  and  is 
now  doubtless  rejoicing  in  the  possession  of  "  a 
crown  of  life." 

The  second  of  these  young  lady  teachers  was 


168  CHINESE  HEROES 

LIU  WEN-LAN, 

who  "  from  the  time  of  her  birth,"  says  my  in- 
formant, "  seems  to  have  been  selected  by  the 
Lord  for  his  own  work  as  a  teacher."  She  was 
good  and  upright  as  a  girl,  enthusiastic  as  a 
Christian,  diligent  as  a  student,  and  faithful  as 
a  worker.  Being  afflicted  with  consumption  she 
left  the  school  in  Peking,  it  being  feared  by  her 
teachers  that  she  could  live  but  a  short  time. 
She  rallied,  however,  and  became  a  teacher  in 
the  girls'  school  at  Tsun-hua.  She  daily  be- 
came more  prayerful,  and  thus  won  the  loving 
respect  of  all  the  students.  She  exerted  herself 
to  develop  the  best  that  was  in  the  girls,  espe- 
cially in  the  matter  of  Christian  living ;  and  thus 
all  were  moved  by  her  influence  or  uplifted  by 
her  grace. 

She,  with  seventeen  of  the  girls  and  others, 
was  captured  by  the  Boxers.  As  they  were 
being  led  to  the  place  of  execution  she  reminded 
them  how  the  Master  was  persecuted,  and  killed, 
and  afterwards  ascended  into  heaven  ;  how  the 
disciples  one  after  another  had  met  death  be- 
cause of  their  faith,  and  she  continued,  "  though 
we  are  not  worthy  to  die  for  him  we  are  ready 
and  willing  to  do  so,  and  will  depend  upon  his 
grace  to  save  us." 

The  Boxers  were  angered  by  her  exhorta- 
tions and  threatened  to  kill  her  at  once.  None 
of  their  threats  moved  her,  however,  and  without 


MARTYRS 


169 


a  tremor  she  offered  her  head  to  the  sword, 
as  though  by  her  fearlessness  in  death  to 
strengthen  her  companions  for  the  coming  trial. 


Coupled  with  the  name  of  Wang  Chih-shen 
among  the  students  of  the  University  is  that  of 

TOU  LIEN-MING 

At  the  revival  service  held  in  Peking  in  1900, 
not  long  before  the  close  of  school,  he  received 
a  rich  baptism  of  the  Spirit.     He  was  a  member 


170  CHINESE  HEROES 

of  the  senior  preparatory  class,  and  returned  to 
his  home  near  Tsun-hua  well  prepared  for  the 
persecutions  which  awaited  him. 

He  was  seized  by  the  Boxers  at  his  home, 
taken  to  the  temple  and  ordered  to  burn  in- 
cense and  knock  his  head  on  the  ground  before 
the  idols,  both  of  which  he  refused  to  do. 

"  He  is  a  devil  of  the  second  class,"  exclaimed 
the  crowd. 

"  I  am  not  a  devil,"  he  answered. 

"  What  are  you,  then  ?  " 

The  slender  youth  straightened  himself  up 
and  without  a  sign  of  fear  replied,  "  I  am  a 
Christian;"  and  in  answer  to  further  questions 
began  to  explain  what  it  meant  to  be  a  follower 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

"  Kill  him  !     Kill  him  ! "  cried  the  mob. 

"  No,  no,  not  here ;  it  is  not  proper  to  kill  him 
in  front  of  the  temple ;  take  him  to  the  street 
which  has  been  set  apart  for  the  slaughter  of 
devils." 

While  they  led  him  forth  he  continued  to  ex- 
hort them,  urging  them  to  listen  to  the  truth, 
until  many  of  those  who  followed  the  irrespon- 
sible mob  felt  pricked  to  the  heart,  as  they  after- 
ward reported,  and  would  have  saved  him  if  they 
could.  It  was  when  they  were  about  to  put  him 
to  death  that  he  said, 

"  Though  you  can  kill  our  bodies,  you  cannot 
kill  our  souls;  hereafter  we  will  live  forever," 
and  with  that  they  hacked  him  to  pieces. 


MARTYRS  171 

His  death  had  a  profound  influence  on  his  fel- 
low-students. In  relating  it  to  his  teacher  they 
spoke  of  it  as  a  triumph  of  faith,  a  victory  over 
death  and  the  grave,  and  when  her  eyes  filled 
with  tears  they  gathered  about  her,  saying,  "  Do 
not  weep,  do  not  weep  for  him.  Think  what  a 
glory  it  was  to  die  like  a  man,  bearing  witness 
for  Christ,  rather  than  to  be  killed  like  a  dog  in 
the  street.  We  would  all  be  glad  if  our  death 
could  be  like  that  of  Tou  Lien-ming." 

LI  TE-JEN 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Te-jen  .^" 

"  Nothing,"  answered  the  boy  addressed,  while 
tears  filled  his  eyes,  "  only  my  feet  are  blistered 
with  walking." 

"  You  are  too  small  to  go  all  the  way  to  Pe- 
king ;  we  will  hire  a  cart  and  send  you  back 
home." 

"  I  will  not  go  back,"  answered  the  plucky 
lad.     "  I  am  determined  to  go  to  school." 

This  conversation  occurred  between  a  mis- 
sionary and  the  smallest  of  a  company  of  boys 
he  was  taking  from  Shan-tung  to  Peking,  a  dis- 
tance of  four  hundred  miles. 

He  was  a  little  boy,  the  son  of  a  little  woman, 
slender  and  undersized,  but  the  disposition  man- 
ifested at  this  time  is  a  fair  index  to  his  char- 
acter and  a  criterion  of  his  life. 

His  virtue  consisted  not  in  quantity  but  in 
quality,  not  in  mass  but  in  fineness.     He  was  an 


172  CHINESE  HEROES 

artist.  Sunday  school  lessons  were  made  inter- 
esting to  hundreds  of  little  folks  by  his  crayon 
drawings  during  his  college  course.  Maps  and 
pictures  illustrative  of  the  branches  he  taught 
decorated  the  walls  of  the  school  in  which  he 
became  a  teacher  after  his  graduation,  and  the 
pupils  who  came  under  his  tuition  bore,  not  the 
impress  of  a  master  mind,  but  the  marks  of  a 
devoted  Christian  character.  At  the  close  of  the 
Conference  of  1900  he  with  his  family  went  to 
visit  friends  at  Chang  P'ing-chou,  north  of  Pe- 
king. What  happened  when  the  Boxer  move- 
ment reached  that  place  we  know  not.  One  re- 
port has  it  that  he  fled  to  the  mountains  and 
with  his  wife  and  child  was  butchered  in  a  cave 
where  they  were  in  hiding ;  while  another  says 
that  he  was  returnincr  to  Pekinor  in  a  cart  and 
outside  the  An  Ting  gate  the  carter  reported 
that  he  was  a  Christian,  when  he  was  taken  by 
the  Boxers  and,  with  his  whole  family,  put  to 
death. 

The  persecutions  reached  their  climax  in  our 
church  at  Ch'ien  An,  at  which  place  there  were 
a  noble  company  of  martyrs,  less  noted  perhaps, 
because  occupying  a  more  humble  position,  but 
none  the  less  faithful  to  the  Lord  whom  they 
had   undertaken  to   serve.     Among  these  their 

pastor, 

YANG  NIEN-TSENG 

stands  at  the  head.  Diligent  as  a  student  in  his 
youth  he  early  became  a  teacher  of  the  various 


MARTYRS  173 

native  branches  of  learning,  which  were  of  no  lit- 
tle assistance  to  him  after  he  had  embraced  the 
Gospel.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  Christian  and  a 
preacher  of  some  ability.  His  son  was  a  student 
in  the  Peking  University  and  had  just  returned 
home  on  his  vacation  when  the  Boxers  first  took 
him  prisoner.  The  villagers  besought  them  to 
liberate  him,  offering  themselves  to  go  security 
for  his  good  conduct.  They  did  so,  but  the 
next  day  they  arrested  both  him  and  his  son, 
saying, 

"  We  will  not  kill  you  both,  but  one  of  you 
must  die  to  propitiate  the  gods  and  atone  for 
the  sins  you  have  committed." 

"  Since  I  have  received  the  greatest  grace," 
said  the  father,  "  I  should  be  the  one  to  die  ; 
moreover,  to  lay  down  one  s  life  in  the  service  of 
the  Master  is  the  greatest  glory  that  is  vouch- 
safed to  man;  I  gladly  receive  the  sentence,  that 
my  son  may  live." 

He  was  taken  away  and  put  to  death  and  his 
body  was  given  to  his  son,  who  had  it  placed  in 
a  coffin  and  carried  back  to  his  native  town  for 
burial.  The  people,  however,  refused  to  allow 
it  to  enter  the  village,  and  the  Boxers  came 
once  more,  took  it  away,  and  burned  it  in  the 
coffin. 

His  wife  and  son  are  left  without  any  means 
of  support  other  than  that  which  is  usually  the 
heritage  of  a  Methodist  preacher.  Here  is  an 
excellent    opportunity    for    someone    or    some 


174  CHINESE  HEROES 

League  to  establish  a  perpetual  scholarship  in 
his  memory  for  the  education  of  his  son. 
Not  less  enthusiastic  as  a  disciple  was 

LIU  TUNG 

From  his  youth  he  was  a  lover  of  learning,  and 
when  the  Gospel  was  brought  to  his  attention 
he  not  only  accepted  it  but  spent  a  large  portion 
of  his  time  searching  the  Scriptures  that  he 
might  under  no  circumstances  be  without  a 
reason  for  the  faith  which  he  professed.  His 
whole  family  became  Christians  as  a  result  of 
his  exhortations  ;  he  was  made  a  local  preacher 
and  spent  a  large  portion  of  his  time  in 
efforts  to  spread  the  Gospel  without  any  assist- 
ance from  the  church,  as  his  family  was  well- 
to-do. 

When  the  Boxer  troubles  were  disturbing  the 
country  the  people  belonging  to  his  own  village 
took  him  prisoner,  bound  him  and  hung  him  to  a 
tree,  where  after  a  night  of  suffering  he  died, 
committing  himself  to  the  hands  of  God,  with 
prayers  for  his  enemies  upon  his  lips. 

His  wife  returned  to  the  home  of  her  parents. 
After  a  few  months  she  gave  birth  to  a  son,  so 
that  he  is  not  left  without  an  heir.  Her  parents 
urged  her  to  give  up  her  belief  in  the  God  of 
her  husband,  but  her  reply  was : 

"  No  !  Though  they  have  killed  my  husband 
I  shall  behold  him  again  in  the  presence  of  the 
Father.     If  I  forsake  God  I  am  without  hope  of 


MARTYRS  115 

ever  seeing  him  again.     No  !  you  may  kill  me, 
but  I  win  never  recant." 

The  same  tree  on  which  Liu  Tung  was  hung 
bore  other  martyr  fruit  In  the  person  of 

LIU  SHEN 

Originally  he  was  a  Chinese  doctor  and  was 
the  first  to  accept  Christianity  at  Ch'Ien  An, 
and  it  was  due  to  his  devotion  and  enthusiasm 
that  many  of  the  villagers  and  farmers  were  bap- 
tized and  entered  the  Church.  He  was  made  a 
local  preacher  and  knew  no  weariness  In  his 
work  for  Christ.  He  was  Indifferent  to  revil- 
ing and  always  answered  It  with  exhortations. 
Many  of  those  who  were  not  believers  respected 
him  because  of  his  patience,  though  there  were 
others  who,  either  because  of  their  own  evil  na- 
ture or  because  they  misunderstood  his  motives, 
ceased  not  to  persecute  him,  and  so  he  was  taken 
and  hanged  on  the  same  tree  with  Liu  Tung. 
.  Many  of  the  onlookers  were  his  neighbors 
and  of  his  own  village  and  expressed  their  dis- 
approval by  reviling  the  Boxers.  He  besought 
them  not  to  revile,  saying, 

*'  If  the  Lord  has  brought  this  punishment  upon 
me  because  I  have  been  unfaithful  in  teaching 
the  Gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  why  should  you 
revile  ?  " 

He  was  taken  from  the  tree  by  the  Boxers 
and  led  to  a  temple  some  forty  II  away,  there  to 
be  put  to  death.     All  the  way  he  exhorted  his 


176  CHINESE  HEROES 

captors,  but  they  would  not  listen,  and  when 
they  reached  the  temple,  and  the  Boxers  tried  to 
induce  him  to  sacrifice  to  their  gods  of  clay,  he 
answered, 

"  Nay ;  do  not  put  me  to  shame,  put  me  to 
death  at  once." 

Not  less  enthusiastic  as  a  Christian  was  the 
chapel  keeper, 

LIU  MING-CH'IN 

He  was  originally  a  druggist  by  profession, 
but  was  so  impressed  with  the  doctrines  of  the 
Christian  religion  that  he  at  once  put  away  his 
false  gods  and  joined  the  church.  His  interest 
in  church  work  soon  led  the  missionary  in  charge 
to  employ  him  as  a  chapel  keeper  and  the  love 
of  the  church  members  was  a  constant  testimony 
to  the  wisdom  of  his  choice. 

He  was  taken  by  the  Boxers  and  led  to  the 
temple  of  Yii  Huang,  their  headquarters,  where 
he  was  bound  to  a  stake.  All  the  way  to  the 
temple  and  after  he  was  bound  he  continued  to 
exhort  them,  when,  angered  by  his  exhortations, 
or  condemned  by  their  own  consciences,  one 
slapped  him  in  the  face.  Still  he  ceased  not, 
until  a  brute  exclaiming,  "You  still  preach,  do 
you  ?"slit  his  mouth  from  ear  to  ear.  Even  this 
did  not  silence  him,  and  they  finally  cut  out  his 
tongue,  smoked  him  with  incense,  and  cut  off 
his  hands  and  feet.  Even  while  he  was  dying, 
we  are  told,  his  face  wore  a  look  of  happiness 
and  peace,  so  much  so  as  to  cause  the  Boxers 


MARTYRS  177 

to  wonder  and  remark,  and   their  only  way  of^ 
accounting  for  it  was, 

"  He  has  eaten  the  medicine  of  the  foreigner 
until  he  does  not  fear  to  die." 

Among   those    of   humbler    station   we    may 

mention 

YANG  T'AI 

He  was  a  farmer.  He  was  deeply  impressed 
by  his  first  knowledge  of  the  Gospel,  though  his 
people  were  bitterly  opposed  to  his  joining  the 
church  and  put  every  possible  obstruction  in  his 
way.  He  would  steal  out  at  night  and  meet 
with  the  other  Christians,  when  together  they 
would  pray  that  a  way  might  be  opened  for  him 
to  enter  the  Church.  Their  prayers  were  finally 
answered  in  the  conversion  of  his  entire  family, 
who  not  only  favored  his  becoming  a  Christian 
but  joined  the  church  with  him. 

Before  the  Boxers  came  to  his  village  he  went 
to* them,  saying, 

"  It  was  through  my  influence  that  my  family 
became  connected  with  the  church,  now  I  beg  of 
you  that  they  all  may  be  saved  and  I  will  lay 
down  my  life  with  pleasure." 

After  extorting  a  large  amount  of  money 
from  the  family  they  put  him  to  death,  but  let 
the  rest  go  free. 

As  with  the  early  Christians,  the  perse- 
cutions were  confined  to  no  one  class  or  con- 
dition. 

12 


178  CHINESE  HEROES 

CHOU  WAN-CH'UAN 

was  a  small  merchant.  His  whole  family  being 
Christians  they  were  all  together  made  prisoners. 
The  wife  of  his  fourth  son,  who  was  at  this  time 
twenty-four  years  old,  had  been  for  some  time  in 
the  women's  training  school,  and  when  she  saw 
the  whole  family  in  the  hands  of  their  enemies 
she  insisted  on  following  them. 

"  You  will  be  killed  if  you  go,"  said  the  vil- 
lagers. 

"  And  why  should  I  live  if  my  husband  and  all 
my  family  are  put  to  death  .^"  she  asked  ;  and  so 
followed  her  people. 

When  they  came  to  the  Boxer  headquarters, 
her  husband,  seeing  the  fidelity  of  his  wife,  and 
being  acquainted  with  some  of  the  Boxer  lead- 
ers, induced  them  to  liberate  him. 

Having  secured  his  own  liberty  he  then  sought 
to  secure  the  release  of  the  rest  of  the  family. 
He  requested  that  they  would  allow  him  to  die 
in  the  place  of  his  mother.  This  they  refused, 
but  allowed  his  mother  to  commit  suicide  in  her 
own  home  rather  than  be  beheaded  in  the  pres- 
ence of  this  motley  mob  of  human  butchers. 
The  rest  of  the  family  were  all  put  to  death. 

Many  of  these  Chinese  Christians  exhibited  a 
bravery  in  the  presence  of  their  enemies,  a  bold- 
ness in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  and  an  indifference 
to  death  worthy  of  their  old  Jewish,  Roman  or 
English  predecessors.     Among  these  was 


MARTYRS  179 

LIU  PI 

a  druggist,  whose  life  had  been  so  changed  by 
his  conversion  that  he  was  recognized  by  all 
who  knew  him  as  a  true  believer  in  the  Chris- 
tian's God. 

He  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Boxers,  bound, 
and  they  were  about  to  throw  him  in  the  fire  to 
burn  him  to  death. 

"  Why  do  you  bind  me  ?  "  he  asked, "  it  is  easy 
to  die  for  the  Lord,"  and  with  this  he  jumped 
into  the  flames,  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
crowd,  and  thus  perished. 

We  cannot  but  fear  that  our  Chinese  Church 
is  human  to  the  extent  of  having  in  it  those 
who,  like  some  in  the  early  Church,  so  far  forgot 
the  prayer  of  their  Lord  as  to  seek  the  uncertain 
glory  of  a  martyr's  crown  or  a  martyr's  grave, 
for  we  are  told  of  one 

WANG  HSI 

who  in  his  native  village  as  well  as  the  sur- 
rounding country  had  the  reputation  of  possess- 
ing such  strength  that  ten  men  could  not  hold 
him.  When  the  troubles  arose  a  local  preacher 
named  T'ang  Chen-pang,  in  charge  of  the  church 
in  a  neighboring  village,  was  taken  prisoner  on 
the  charge  of  poisoning  the  wells,  the  common 
accusation  in  all  cases  where  they  could  trump 
up  no  other  charge  against  the  party.  The 
Boxers  were  so  numerous  that  none  of  the 
Christians  dared  enter  the  city.     Under  these 


180  CHINESE  HEROES 

circumstances  Wang  Hsi  entered  alone  for  the 
purpose  of  finding  some  one  who  would  go  se- 
curity for  the  imprisoned  preacher.  The  latter, 
on  account  of  his  courageous  defense  of  himself 
before  the  magistrate,  was  liberated,  while  the 
former  allowed  himself  to  be  arrested  by  two 
Boxer  children,  whom  he  could  easily  have  cast 
aside,  and  without  being  bound  he  put  his  hands 
behind  him  and  "  willingly  went  to  his  death." 
While  there  may  be  something  about  this  case 
of  which  we  have  no  knowledge  it  was  the  evi- 
dent belief  of  our  informant  that  it  was  an  heroic 
deed  ;  a  thing  which  we  would  not  encourage  in 
the  present  stage  of  the  Church  in  China. 

The  Boxers  made  strenuous  efforts  to  induce 

HOU  WANG 

a  farmer,  to  deny  the  faith. 

"If  you  will  give  up  your  religion,"  they  said, 
"  and  promise  henceforth  not  to  worship  the 
Lord  Jesus,  we  will  liberate  you." 

"  I  have  believed  in  the  Lord  these  many 
years,"  replied  Hou  Wang,  "  and  he  knows 
I  believe  in  him.  Can  I  now  say  I  do  not  be- 
lieve in  him  }  You  can  deceive  men  but  you 
cannot  deceive  God.     No  !  I  will  not  deny  him." 

Of  like  character  was 

CHIA  FU-SHAN 

originally  a  carpenter,  but  at  the  time  of  his 
death  the  keeper  of  a  small  shop  for  the  sale  of 


MARTYRS  181 

water  pails.  He  was  one  of  those  ardent  Chris- 
tians who  was  never  absent  from  his  place  of 
worship.  He  and  his  wife  were  taken  and 
bound.  As  they  were  being  led  out  of  the  city 
to  their  execution  the  bystanders  laughed  at  and 
made  sport  of  them.  He  called  out,  so  that  all 
could  hear, 

"  We,  because  of  our  belief  in  the  Lord  Jesus, 
go  bound  to  our  death,  which  is  to  us  an  honor  ; 
when  you  come  to  die  I  fear  that  your  lot  will 
be  much  more  pitiable  than  ours.  Do  you  then 
dare  scoff  at  us  ?  " 

They  bent  their  heads  to  the  swords  of  their 
murderers  without  fear,  leaving  but  one  child,  a 
little  girl,  to  mourn  the  loss  of  her  parents. 

Not  less  pathetic  is  the  story  of 

MRS.  WU 

and  her  familv.  She  had  been  in  the  training- 
school  in  Tientsin  for  several  terms,  and  was 
thus  well  prepared  for  the  work  in  which  she  was 
engaged,  that  of  a  Bible  woman  in  the  employ 
of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society. 
When  the  Boxer  movement  arose,  and  her  life 
seemed  to  be  threatened  in  Tai  Cheng,  the 
place  to  which  she  had  been  sent,  she  returned 
to  her  home.  Here  she  was  in  equal  danger. 
She  was  known  to  be  an  enthusiastic  Christian 
and  was  one  of  the  first  to  be  captured.  She 
was  taken  to  a  temple  where  she  was  bound  to 
a  pillar  and  beaten  across  the  breast,  but  never 


18£  CHINESE  HEROES 

uttered  a  cry.  As  she  refused  to  sacrifice  to 
the  idols  a  bunch  of  Hghted  incense  was  held 
to  her  face  till  the  flesh  was  burned  off.  The 
Boxers  were  greatly  opposed  to  the  women 
unbinding  their  feet  ;  and  as  she  had  done  so 
they  first  cut  off  her  feet  and  hands  and  hung 
them  on  a  tree,  and  as  she  still  continued  to 
praise  the  Lord  it  so  angered  them  that 
they  beheaded  her  and  then  hacked  her  body 
to  pieces. 

One  of  her  sons,  together  with  his  wife,  was 
also  killed.  Two  other  sons  and  her  husband 
were  first  taken  to  the  official's,  where  they 
were  beaten  and  then  put  into  a  cage.  The 
father  died  of  starvation  and  the  wounds  he  had 
received,  but  the  sons  were  afterwards  liberated 
and  thus  escaped  death. 

In  this  same  village  was  a  farmer  named 

WANG  TE-WEN 

who,  notwithstanding  he  was  recognized  as  one 
of  the  most  patient  men  of  the  town,  was  con- 
stantly persecuted  by  certain  worthless  vaga- 
bonds because  of  his  faith,  and  at  this  time 
they  brought  him  before  the  official.  The  latter, 
finding  nothing  for  which  he  could  condemn 
him,  returned  him  to  the  villagers.  No  one  was 
willing  to  kill  him  and  yet  his  enemies  were  not 
willing  to  set  him  free.  On  the  suggestion  of  a 
scoundrel  it  was  decided  to  bury  him  alive. 
After  they  had  dug  the  grave  he   threw  himself 


MARTYRS  183 

into  the  hole,  to  show  that  he  was  not  afraid  to 
die,  and  thus  they  buried  him. 

His  property  was  all  taken  from  him  and  his 
wife  and  little  son  are  left  in  a  destitute  condition. 

As  a  testimony  to  the  good  character  of 

LIU  SHU-FAN 
the  people  of  his  native  place  came  in  a  crowd 
to  the  head  Boxer,  before  whom  he  had  been 
brought,  and  requested  that  he  be  liberated, 
offering  themselves  to  go  security  for  his  good 
conduct.  The  Boxer  leader  refused  to  grant 
their  request,  but  offered  to  set  his  father, 
mother  and  wife  at  liberty  instead.  But  they, 
fearing  that  the  people  would  think  that  by  thus 
accepting  life  they  had  renounced  their  faith,  re- 
fused to  be  liberated,  preferring  rather  to  suffer 
with  their  son.  When  they  were  being  exe- 
cuted the  people  wept  bitterly,  their  wailing  being 
heard  for  many  li. 

A  clay-stove  maker,  by  the  name  of 

CHIANG  JUI-CH'UN 
and  his  wife  were  accused  of  being  "  rubbers  of 
red  and  buriers  of  medicine,"  and  also  of  being 
"  able  to  ride  on  the  clouds  and  the  fog,"  and  for 
this  reason  they  were  burned  at  the  stake. 
A  restaurant  keeper  named 

WANG  CH'ING-WEN 
because  of  his  enthusiasm  in  his  efforts  to  spread 
the  knowledge  of  Christ  was  treated  with  scorn 


184  CHINESE  HEROES 

and  reviling  by  the  Boxers,  who  as  they  hacked 
him  to  pieces  said  :  "  You  say  that  hereafter  you 
will  ascend  to  heaven.  We  will  send  your  fin- 
gers and  toes  there  first,  and  after  that  your 
hands  and  feet,  and  see  how  you  can  stand 
pain."  But  in  spite  of  their  reviling  and  of  the 
pain  occasioned  by  their  cruelty  he  neither  lost 
his  peace  with  God  nor  his  patience  with  his 
persecutors. 

A  man  by  the  name  of 

TS'AO  YUNG-FU 

who  kept  a  leather  shop  in  a  village  near  the 
city,  his  wife,  sons  and  daughters  were  all 
taken  prisoners  and  carried  outside  the  East 
gate  of  the  city.  They  were  first  shot  with  shot 
guns ;  their  clothing  was  then  removed  and 
wounds  were  made  in  their  chests;  some  had 
their  ears,  noses  or  lips  cut  off ;  others  were  cut 
into  eight  or  more  pieces,  and  all  were  left  for 
dead.  During  the  night  his  wife  became  con- 
scious, and  though  wounded  in  many  places 
both  with  shot  and  knife,  she  crept  to  the  home 
of  relatives,  where,  though  she  will  remain  a 
lifelong  cripple,  she  was  saved.  Her  third  and 
fourth  sons  were  also  saved,  but  her  husband, 
with  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  perished. 
Though  she  has  suffered  so  much  she  still 
teaches-  her  two  sons  to  trust  the  Lord ;  the 
oldest  of  them  she  sends  to  a  Christian 
school. 


MARTYRS  185 

JEN  PANG-HSIANG 

was  a  brilliant  child  and  a  good  scholar;  but,  his 
mother  dying  in  his  youth,  he  was  left  without 
proper  care  and  grew  up  an  unfilial  boy.  At 
nineteen  he  was  married,  but  neither  himself 
nor  his  wife  was  obedient  to  their  parents.  On 
hearing  the  Gospel  he  was  converted,  and  his 
life  was  so  changed  as  to  lead  his  father,  who 
was  a  Hsiu  Tsai,  or  literary  graduate,  to  study 
the  Bible,  to  see  if  he  could  discover  the  cause 
of  this  remarkable  change  in  the  character  and 
conduct  of  his  son,  and  in  this  way  the  father 
was  himself  converted. 

The  young  man  was  taken  prisoner  and  the 
neighbors  urged  him  to  burn  incense  to  their 
idols,  but  this  he  steadfastly  refused  to  do  and 
joyfully  went  to  the  stake.  His  faithfulness 
only  served  to  strengthen  the  faith  of  his  father, 
who  became  more  ardent  than  ever  in  the  serv- 
ice of  the  Lord,  and  as  a  consequence  he  also 
was  made  a  prisoner.  But  as  most  of  the  vil- 
lagers had  been  his  pupils,  and  as  scholars  are 
too  rare  in  China  to  be  promiscuously  beheaded 
by  an  ignorant  mob  of  superstitious  ruffians, 
they  came  out  en  masse  and  insisted  on  his  lib- 
eration, which  the  Boxers  were  reluctantly  com- 
pelled to  grant. 


186  CHINESE  HEROES 


CHENG  TIEN-FANG:  THE  MESSENGER'S 
STORY 

On  the  3rd  of  the  6th  month  I  was  requested 
to  go  to  Tientsin  as  a  messenger  for  those  who 
were  besieged  in  Peking.  I  was  in  Su  Wang 
Fu  at  the  time,  and  was  first  taken  to  see  the 
chairman  of  the  General  Committee,  who  said 
to  me  : 

"  Are  you,  of  your  own  free  will,  ready  to  go 
to  Tientsin  to  take  a  letter?" 

"  Yes ;  I  will  go  gladly,"  I  answered. 

"You  understand  that  there  is  great  danger  of 
your  being  killed,"  he  continued. 

"Yes,  I  understand." 

"  I  will  not  take  any  responsibility.  The  risk 
all  rests  with  you." 

"  I  will  take  the  risk." 

"If  you  bring  us  a  letter  back  we  will  give 
you  a  thousand  taels."  ^ 

"  I  do  not  go  for  money,"  I  answered.  "  This 
is  a  piece  of  business  money  could  not  hire  me 
to  perform.  It  is  an  important  matter  and  I 
will  go  as  a  service  to  the  besieged,  but  not  for 
money.  Whether  I  ever  return  or  not  is  in  the 
hands  of  the  Lord." 

"  Bravo  !"  he  replied.     "You  are  a  true  Chrls- 

*  One  thousand  ounces  of  silver. 


THE  MESSENGER'S  STORY 


187 


tian.     To-morrow  you  will   start,   and   may  the 
Lord  go  with  you  !" 

I  returned  to  my  duties,  and  while  the  rain, 
thunder  and  lightning  were  keeping  time  to  the 
shots  of  the  Chinese  soldiers  and  the  howling  of 


CHeng  Tien-fang 

The  successful  messenger  to  Tientsin.     He  received  $i,ooo  for  his  service,  one  half 
of  which  he  gave  to  found  a  scholarhhip  in  Peking  University. 

the  Boxers  without  I  knelt  and  prayed  that  the 
Lord  would  go  with  me  to  Tientsin.  As  I  prayed 
I  wept — praying  and  weeping  again  and  again — 
and  finally,  with  my  head  resting  on  my  arms 
on  the  table,  I   fell  asleep.     When  I   awoke  and 


188  CHINESE  HEROES 

explained  to  my  wife  what  I  was  about  to  do  I 
found  that  she  was  bitterly  opposed  to  my  going. 
She  wept,  and  begged  me  not  to  go,  asking 
what  would  become  of  her  if  I  were  killed.  But 
when  I  explained  to  her  that  I  felt  it  was  a  duty 
I  owed  the  Lord,  and  that  perhaps  the  lives  of 
all  these  people  depended  upon  me,  she  sub- 
mitted, promising  to  pray  for  me  every  day, 
which  she  was  faithful  to  do,  and  her  first  greet- 
ing when  I  returned  was,  '*  My  prayers  are  an- 
swered and  you  are  safe  !  " 

The  following  day  I  went  to  see  the  professor 
of  Japanese  in  the  Imperial  College  (Tung  Wen 
Kuan)  and  the  Minister,  to  get  the  letter  which 
they  were  to  write.  This  I  sewed  in  the  heel  of 
my  shoe  and  started  upon   my  journey. 

I  had  hardly  left  the  defenses  when  a  bullet 
whistled  close  to  my  head.  I  ran  a  few  steps, 
being  rather  frightened.  Just  then  I  saw  a  num- 
ber of  people  going  along  the  street  carrying 
bundles  of  things  they  had  looted  from  burning 
buildings,  and  I  mingled  with  the  crowd,  going 
north  past  the  Temple  of  Imperial  Ancestors, 
where  the  decaying  bodies  of  the  dead,  piled  one 
upon  the  other,  were  so  offensive  as  to  compel 
me  to  hold  my  nose. 

When  I  arrived  at  the  Tan  P  ai-lo,  the  arch 
where  Von  Ketteler  was  murdered,  the  stores 
were  all  closed  and  sealed  and  but  few  persons 
were  abroad  upon  the  street.  I  went  past  the 
Kuan  Yin  temple  to  the  East  gate  of  the  city, 


THE  MESSENGER'S  STORY  189 

the  two  sides  of  all  the  streets  being  lined  with 
tents  and  soldiers.  The  gate  enclosure  was  filled 
with  Boxers ;  but  as  I  went  out  with  the  crowd 
no  one  interfered  and  I  was  greatly  comforted, 
and  prayed  that  the  Lord  would  go  with  me  all 
the  way. 

I  arrived  at  Tung  Chou  in  the  evening  and 
entered  a  boat.  Both  sides  of  the  river  were 
lined  with  Boxers  practicing  their  arts.  The 
conversation  of  the  boatmen  was  vile,  and  seemed 
like  arrows  entering  my  heart,  and  once  more  I 
prayed.  I  was  worn  out,  and  leaning  against 
the  side  of  the  boat  I   slept. 

The  boatmen  would  not  start,  the  Boxers 
were  constantly  coming  on  the  boat  to  find 
Christians  and  their  talk  frightened  me,  but  the 
Lord  was  with  me  and  no  one  discovered  my 
errand.  On  the  6th  we  started  and  after  three 
days  and  nights  arrived  at  the  red  bridge  at 
Tientsin  and  I  continued  to  pray.  On  the  east 
bank  there  were  innumerable  Chinese  soldiers 
and  so  I  could  not  go  over  there.  I  returned  to 
the  Pei  Fu  bridge,  where  I  went  to  a  small  inn. 
The  innkeeper  did  not  want  to  admit  me  but  I 
begged  so  earnestly  that  he  finally  allowed  me 
to  stop. 

On  the  loth  I  went  to  the  South  gate,  but 
this  was  so  strictly  guarded  by  Chinese  soldiers 
that  I  could  do  nothing,  and  I  returned  to  the 
bridge  and  stayed  all  night. 

At  daylight   I  went  to  the  West  gate,  think- 


190  CHINESE  HEROES 

ing  I  could  get  out  and  go  to  the  French 
Settlement,  but  this  again  was  guarded  by 
Chinese  soldiers,  both  outside  and  in,  so  I  could 
not  get  through.  I  once  more  prayed,  thinking 
to  go  round  by  Yang  Lu  Ch'ing,  forty  li  by  the 
river,  and  thus  make  my  way.  When  I  got  on 
the  boat  a  man  told  me  that  the  day  before  he 
had  gone  to  the  Foreign  Settlement  but  was 
beaten  and  could  not  get  in,  and  I  asked  care- 
lessly but  particularly  where  the  foreign  soldiers 
were  and  where  one  could  most  likely  get  in. 
He  said  that  both  at  the  ticket  office  and  farther 
north  on  the  railroad  there  were  numerous  for- 
eign soldiers.  All  of  this  I  remembered  with- 
out seeming  to  be  interested. 

At  dark  I  arrived  at  Yang  Lu  Ch'ing,  where 
the  innkeeper  refused  to  receive  me,  as  had  been 
done  at  other  places,  saying  that  the  Boxers 
were  hunting  for  Christians  and  would  burn  the 
inn  if  they  found  one  there.  I  implored  him  as 
I  had  done  the  others,  and  as  night  was  rapidly 
coming  on  he  allowed  me  to  remain.  The  next 
day  was  Sunday.  I  prayed  all  day  in  the  inn, 
and  with  much  care  tried  to  find  how  I  micrht 
be  able  to  get  to  the  Foreign  Settlement,  but  I 
could  secure  no  information  and  soon  the  13th 
returned  to  Tientsin,  stopping  at  the  Yii  Lung 
inn,  the  proprietor  being  a  native  of  my  village. 

On  the  14th  I  went  to  Ch'en  Chia  Kou,  but 
found  the  place  carefully  guarded  by  Chinese 
soldiers  and  again   returned  to   the  inn.     That 


THE  MESSENGER'S  STORY  191 

night  as  I  lay  on  my  brick  bed  I  prayed  that  the 
Lord  would  help  me  to  get  to  Tientsin.  The 
following  day  I  again  went  to  Ch'en  Chia  Kou, 
where  the  Chinese  and  foreigners  were  fighting, 
the  former  being  slain  in  great  numbers  and,  piled 
one  on  top  of  the  other,  were  being  devoured  by 
vultures  and  dogs,  and  as  the  firing  continued  I 
returned  to  the  inn.  Once  more  I  prayed,  and 
at  daylight  of  the  i6th  I  went  to  Chen  Chia  Kou. 
I  walked  to  and  fro  till  noon,  but  as  the  Chinese 
were  on  every  hand  I  could  not  get  in.  The 
day  was  very  hot  and  at  noon  the  soldiers  went 
into  their  tents  to  rest.  Taking  advantage  of 
this  opportunity  I  hurried  to  the  railway,  where 
the  foreign  soldiers  were  on  guard.  They  shot 
at  me  twice,  but  the  Lord  was  round  about  me 
and  their  bullets  went  astray.  As  I  waved  a 
white  handkerchief  they  knew  I  was  not  a  Boxer 
and  they  allowed  me  to  enter. 

After  inquiring  where  I  came  from  they  sent 
me  to  the  Japanese  consul.  He  brought  out  a 
Japanese  map  of  Peking-Tientsin  on  which  I 
pointed  out  to  him  the  whole  situation,  telling 
him  where  there  were  men,  where  none,  where 
many,  where  few  ;  all  which  he  wrote  down,  say- 
ing that  if  I  had  not  come  they  would  not  have 
understood  the  situation  in  Peking  and  would 
not  have  dared  to  do  anything.  He  then  took 
the  letters  and  went  to  see  the  commanders  of 
the  Allied  Forces. 

On  the  1 8th  they  effected  an  entrance  to  the 


192  CHINESE  HEROES 

native  city  of  Tientsin  at  the  sacrifice  of  a  great 
many,  both  soldiers  and  citizens.  A  large  num- 
ber of  Boxers  were  killed  and  the  remainder  ran 
away.  On  every  door  a  white  flag  was  placed, 
and  that  night  the  people  rested  in  peace. 

On  the  19th  the  Japanese  consul  wrote  a  let- 
ter and  gave  it  to  me  to  carry  back  to  Peking, 
asking  me  to  go  as  quickly  as  possible  and  offer- 
ing me  $200  in  money. 

"  I  do  not  want  the  money,"  I  said.  "  I  came 
as  a  duty,  and  not  for  the  purpose  of  making 
money." 

"  What !  not  want  money  }  "  he  inquired  with 
surprise. 

"  I  will  take  enough  to  pay  my  expenses,  if 
you  please,"  I  replied. 

He  gave  me  $10.  I  sewed  the  letter  between 
the  lining  and  the  outside  of  my  shoe  and  left 
the  city  by  the  East  gate  through  the  Russian 
district.  The  Russian  soldiers  arrested  me,  and 
as  they  would  not  allow  me  to  proceed  I  was 
forced  to  return  to  the  consul.  The  following 
day  he  sent  soldiers  with  me  to  the  Yii  Lung 
Tien.  All  my  clothes  were  stolen  from  me  and  I 
was  forced  by  the  Japanese  soldiers  to  return  to 
the  consul.  I  met  him  at  the  river,  and  when  I 
told  him  all  about  it  he  sent  others  who  con- 
ducted me  to  Pei  Tsang.  They  had  hardly  left 
me  when  I  met  and  was  arrested  by  Chinese 
soldiers,  who  sought  to  find  out  whether  I  was  a 
traitor,  fearing,  as  they  said,  that  I  was  a  mes- 


THE  MESSENGER'S  STORY  193 

senger  for  the  foreigners.  I  meekly  submitted, 
as  there  was  nothing  else  to  do,  and  they 
searched  all  my  clothes  except  my  shoes,  thanks 
to  the  protection  of  a  good  Providence. 

That  evening  I  arrived  at  Yang  Ts'un  and 
slept  on  a  boat,  but  I  was  very  hungry,  having 
had  nothing  to  eat  all  day.  The  next  day  I 
went  as  far  as  Ho  Hsi  Wu,  where  the  Boxers 
had  just  killed  three  men. 

"  Where  did  they  come  from  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  From  Tientsin,"  they  answered. 

"Why  did  they  kill  them?" 

"  They  asked  the  men  how  matters  stood  in 
Tientsin  and  they  said  the  Chinese  had  been  de- 
feated. This  led  the  Boxers  to  suppose  that 
they  w^ere  '  devils  of  the  second  class  '  and  they 
killed  them." 

"  How  did  they  kill  them  ?  " 

"  They  led  them  to  the  altar  to  burn  Incense 
which,  when  they  burned  it,  sent  up  a  dark 
smoke." 

When  I  heard  this  I  was  greatly  frightened, 
and  leaving  as  hurriedly  as  was  possible,  without 
arousing  suspicion,  I  arrived  at  Tung  Chou  the 
following  evening. 

The  Boxers  here  were  as  numerous  as  before 
but  not  so  violent.  When  I  arrived  at  the  Ch'i 
Hua-men  I  had  my  head  shaved  and  got  some- 
thing to  eat,  after  which  I  entered  the  city.  The 
gate  enclosure  was  still  held  by  the  Boxers,  and 

along  the  streets  all  the  stores  were  closed  and 
13 


194  CHINESE  HEROES 

the  people  presented  a  frightened  appearance. 
I  passed  the  Tan  P  ai-lo  and  went  up  the  T'ai 
Chu  Chang,  where  the  Chinese  soldiers  with 
Imperial  edicts  in  one  hand  and  swords  in  the 
other  prevented  the  people  from  going  to  Lega- 
tion Street. 

As  it  was  impossible  to  go  further  I  walked 
back  and  forth,  when  suddenly  I  saw  a  crowd  of 
people  going  through  the  Customs  place  carry- 
ing fruit  to  the  Legation.  I  joined  the  crowd 
and  went  with  it  to  the  East  gate  of  Su  Wang 
Fu  where  I  saw  the  Japanese  soldiers  and  told 
them  I  was  the  messenger  returning  from  Tient- 
sin with  a  message  from  their  consul. 

They  bade  me  come  in  and  I  gave  them  the 
letters  I  had  brought.  A  meeting  of  the  Minis- 
ters of  all  the  countries  was  called  and  the  let- 
ters were  read  which  told  them  that  on  the  24th 
the  Allies  would  start  to  Peking.  There  were 
24,000  Japanese,  2,000  English,  4,000  Russians, 
1 ,500  Americans,  i  ,500  French,  300  Germans,  with 
others  soon  to  follow.  The  Ministers  all  wanted 
to  see  and  shake  hands  with  me,  saying  very 
many  kind  and  comforting  things,  and  inquiring 
about  my  adventures  by  the  way,  treating  me  with 
great  respect.  That  night  there  was  much  sing- 
ing and  every  one  was  happy  praising  the  Lord. 

Such  is  the  account  of  my  experiences  while 
going  in  the  name  and  under  the  protection  of 
the  Lord,  from  Peking  to  Tientsin  and  return, 
as  a  Messenger  for  the  Besieged. 


YAO  CHEN- YUAN  195 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  YAO  CHEN-YUAN 

ONE    OF    THE    FOUR    SUCCESSFUL    MESSENGERS  TO   AND   FROM 
TIENTSIN 

When  the  letters  of  the  various  Ministers  had 
been  committed  to  my  care  I  returned  to  Su 
Wang  Fu  saying  to  myself,  "  How  shall  I  ever 
be  able  to  take  these  letters  to  Tientsin  ?" 

I  breathed  a  simple  prayer  to  God  to  "  Give 
me  some  method  by  which  I  might  reach  my 
destination  in  safety." 

The  words  had  scarcely  left  my  lips  when  I 
noticed  on  the  wall  a  large  straw  hat,  such  as  is 
commonly  used  by  coolies  in  the  summer  time, 
and  as  it  was  composed  of  two  layers  of  straw  I 
wet  it,  ripped  it  apart  and  concealed  my  letters 
between  the  two  sections,  after  which  I  carefully 
sewed  it  together  as  before,  with  the  prayer 
upon  my  lips,  "  Lord,  when  do  you  wish  me  to 
start  ?  " 

When  I  left  the  Legation  I  crossed  the  bridge 
and  climbed  over  a  wall  of  barricades  into  Su 
Wang  Fu,  where  two  Japanese  soldiers  said  to 
me, 

"  What  are  you  doing  here?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  Tientsin  with  letters,"  I  re- 
plied. 

"  What  is  your  name.^  "  inquired  one  of  them. 


196 


CHINESE  HEROES 


When  I  told  him  he  said,  in  a  kind  but  warn- 
ing tone, 

"  You  must  be  careful  or  you  will  be  killed 
before  you  are  well  started  on  your  way." 

He  took  me  to  a  small  lane  at  the  outskirts  of 


Yao    CHen-yuan 

the  barricades  where  he  left  me  to  go  on  alone, 
but  I  had  not  gone  far  when  I  discovered  that  a 
Boxer  watchman  was  stationed  at  the  other  end 
of  the  street  and  my  heart  almost  stood  still.  I 
had  gone  too  far,  however,  to  turn  back,  so  I  put 
on  a  bold  front,  prayed  the  Lord  for  guidance 
and  walked  boldly  onward. 


YAO  CHEN-YUAN  197 

"  Give  me  ten  cents  and  I  will  let  you  pass," 
was  all  he  said,  the  which  I  was  quite  ready  to 
do. 

My  way  through  the  East  gate  was  without 
incident ;  but  when  half  way  to  Tung  Chou  I 
overtook  some  three  hundred  of  Tung  Fu- 
hsiang's  soldiers  to  whom  I  joined  myself  and 
continued  on  my  way.  The  canal  had  overflowed 
its  banks  at  the  Eight  Li  bridge  and  at  their 
suggestion  we  had  our  dinner,  for  which  they 
paid,  after  which  one  of  them  offered  to  swim 
across  with  me  on  his  back,  which  kindness  I  was 
glad  to  accept  as  I  saw  no  other  way  of  getting 
to  the  opposite  side.  I  continued  with  the  sol- 
diers, stopping  with  them  that  night  at  a  Mo- 
hammedan inn  the  proprietor  of  which  was  very 
kind  to  me.  He  refused  to  accept  payment  for 
my  entertainment  and  asked  me  to  take  vows  of 
friendship  before  I  left. 

During  the  night  a  crowd  passed  by  led  by  a 
woman  Boxer — a  member  of  the  Society  of  the 
Red  Lantern — who  asked  me  my  name,  my  busi- 
ness, and  where  I  was  going.  As  I  seemed  to 
satisfy  them  with  my  answer  they  went  about 
their  business,  which  was  the  destruction  of  a 
Catholic  village  and  the  murder  of  the  Chris- 
tians. 

The  next  morning  I  continued  on  my  way, 
being  early  joined  by  a  Boxer  who  invited  me 
to  dine  with  him,  after  which  we  separated. 

That  night  I   heard  the  keeper  of  the  inn  at 


198  CHINESE  HEROES 

which  I  stopped  say  to  a  Boxer,  "  We  have  no 
Christians  here,"  and  I  spent  the  night  in  peace. 
The  following  day  a  child  warned  me  not  to 
go  through  a  certain  village,  saying  that  the 
Boxers  were  taking  every  one  they  suspected, 
and  I  saw  the  fire  kindled  at  which  they  burned 
twenty  Christians,  while  I  at  the  same  time 
thanked  the  Lord  for  putting  it  into  the  mind  of 
a  child  to  warn  me,  and  thus  save  me,  and  per- 
haps the  people  of  the  Legation,  from  a  like 
horrible  fate. 

The  country  was  flooded.  I  was  compelled 
to  wade  through  water  the  depth  of  which  I 
knew  nothing  about  and  I  was  wet  and  dis- 
couraged. I  had  just  emerged  from  the  water 
when  a  man  with  a  gun  on  his  shoulder  called 
out  to  me  in  a  loud  voice, 

"  Where  are  you  going  7  " 

'*  I  am  going  to  Tientsin,"  I  answered. 

"  What  for  ?  " 

"To  find  the  head  of  a  flower  establishment 
in  which  I  was  employed  before  this  trouble 
broke  out." 

The  readiness  of  my  answer  seemed  to  satisfy 
him  and  he  allowed  me  to  continue  on  my  way. 
[It  ought  to  be  said  in  Mr.  Yao's  defense  that 
he  had  been  connected  with  such  a  business,  the 
head  of  which  lived  In  Tientsin,  so  that  his  an- 
swer was  not  wholly  fiction.] 

At  the  next  village  a  shoemaker  Informed  me 
that    the    road    was  dangerous,  being   crowded 


YAO  CHEN-YUAN  199 

with  Chinese  troops  ;  a  thing  which  I  soon  found 
to  be  true  by  being  made  prisoner  and  having 
my  money  all  taken  from  me.  My  money  being 
all  they  wanted  the  soldiers  at  once  set  me  free, 
and  I  in  turn  complained  to  the  officer  that  I 
had  been  robbed  by  his  troops. 

"  Wait,"  said  he,  "  until  I  see  who  did  It." 

**  No,  no,"  said  I,  "do  not  let  me  trouble  you 
to  that  extent ;  the  day  is  far  spent  and  I  would 
like  to  spend  the  night  in  your  camp." 

"  With  pleasure,"  said  he.  So  I  spent  the  night 
in  the  protection  of  my  enemies. 

"  Please  search  me,"  said  I  in  the  morning,  "  to 
see  that  I  have  taken  nothing,  and  I  will  pro- 
ceed on  my  way." 

He  returned  my  money,  warning  me  not  to 
pfo  on  the  Great  Road  lest  I  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  foreign  troops  and  suffer  at  their  hands. 

"  I  understand,"  said  I,  with  a  meaning  which 
he  did  not  comprehend,  and  I  left. 

When  I  came  to  the  river  I  noticed  a  boat- 
man and  accosted  him  as  follows: 

"  Will  you  take  me  to  the  red  bridge  in  Tient- 
sin ?" 

"  We  do  not  dare  to  go  as  far  as  the  red  bridge," 
he  answered;  "the  Japanese  soldiers  are  there 
and  they  will  shoot  us." 

"You  need  not  be  afraid,"  said  I,  "  I  can  pro- 
tect you  from  the  Japanese  soldiers." 

On  hearing  this  he  readily  consented,  but  he 
put  me  off  some  distance  from  the  bridge. 


wo  CHINESE  HEROES 

I  saw  the  soldiers  In  the  distance,  but  waved 
my  handkerchief  as  a  token  that  I  was  a  mes- 
senger, and  thus  encountered  no  danger. 

They  escorted  me  to  the  Foreign  Settle- 
ment and  then  left  me  to  go  alone,  but  the 
Russians  refused  to  allow  me  to  pass  and  I  was 
compelled  to  return  to  the  red  bridge.  I  took 
one  of  the  letters  out  of  the  hat  and  showed 
it  to  three  Japanese  officers  who  happened  to 
be  passing. 

"  Where  do  you  come  from  ?  "  they  asked. 

"From  Peking." 

"  Were  you  not  afraid  of  the  Boxers  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  You  are  a  good  man  ;  wait  till  I  give  you  a 
pass." 

While  he  was  writing,  it  began  to  rain,  and 
they  took  me  to  their  headquarters,  where  I  saw 
a  higher  official,  dined  with  him,  and  related  all 
my  adventures  by  the  way,  as  well  as  the  con- 
dition of  affairs  in  Peking;  all  of  which  he  wrote 
down,  and  then  sent  four  of  his  soldiers  to  ac- 
company me  to  the  British  and  American  con- 
sulates. When  I  saw  the  American  consul  I 
burst  into  tears  and  told  him  of  all  that  the 
people  in  Peking  were  suffering  ;  how  the  Boxers 
were  firing  on  them  from  all  sides  and  trying  to 
burn  them  out ;  how  each  man  was  limited  to  a 
small  cup  of  grain  a  day  while  at  the  same  time 
they  were  compelled  to  labor  like  coolies,  under 
a  burning   sun,  in  employments  to   which  they 


YAO  CHEN-YUAN  201 

were   not  accustomed,  and  I  urged  him  to  send 
soldiers  at  once  to  relieve  them. 

He  sent  a  man  to  take  me  to  my  room  and  I 
found  among  the  servants  one  of  my  old  ac- 
quaintances, with  whom  I  spent  a  pleasant  even- 
ing, and  then  had  a  good  nights  rest.  The 
following  day  I  went  to  the  Methodist  mission, 
where  I  met  those  who  had  passed  through  a 
siege  similar  to  the  one  I  had  left.  When  Dr. 
Benn  saw  how  sore  my  feet  were  she  washed 
and  bandaged  them  with  her  own  hands. 

After  a  rest  of  two  days  I  secured  the  letters 
of  the  various  consuls,  together  with  others  from 
friends  of  some  of  the  besieged,  and  started  on 
my  return  journey,  depending  upon  the  Lord  for 
his  protection.  I  had  not  gone  a  mile  from  the 
city  when  I  was  arrested  by  two  foreign  soldiers, 
robbed  of  all  my  money  and  taken  to  the  tent 
of  their  officer,  who  when  he  saw  my  pass  rec- 
ognized it  as  that  of  a  messenger  from  Peking 
and  restored  both  my  money  and  my  liberty. 
Two  miles  from  the  city  I  came  to  a  stream  I 
was  unable  to  cross,  and  found  myself  compelled 
to  return  and  leave  by  way  of  the  North  gate  of 
the  city. 

Seven  miles  from  the  city  I  fell  into  a  nest  of 
Boxers,  the  head  of  whom  asked  me, 

"  Where  have  you  been  ?  " 

"  To  Tientsin,"  I  replied. 

"  What  for  ?  " 

"  To  see  the  head  of  the  flower  establishment 


W2  CHINESE  HEROES 

with  which  I  was  connected  before  this  trouble 
broke  out,"  I  answered. 

"How  old  is  he?" 

"Seventy-six  years,"  I  replied  without  hesi- 
tation. 

He  said  no  more,  and  I  asked  if  I  could  dine 
with  them. 

After  dinner  I  said  to  the  head  Boxer, 

"  I  wish  to  go  to  Peking;  can  you  tell  me  the 
safest  route  for  me  to  take  ?" 

He  told  me,  and  after  wishing  him  good-bye 
I  left,  taking  the  direction  he  suggested.  The 
following  day,  when  passing  a  melon  patch 
watched  by  Boxers,  I  walked  up  to  them  and 
asked  them  to  give  me  a  melon,  thinking  that 
they  would  be  less  likely  to  disturb  me  if  I  first 
addressed  them. 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?"  they  asked. 

"  To  Peking,"  I  answered  ;  "  can  you  tell  me 
which  road  it  would  be  safest  for  me  to  take.^^" 

They  told  me  and,  as  in  the  former  case,  I  fol- 
lowed their  direction,  reaching  the  city  without 
further  adventure  other  than  that  of  avoiding 
several  crowds  of  Boxers  and  Chinese  soldiers. 

Outside  the  East  gate  I  ate  two  bowls  of  vermi- 
celli, while  I  watched  the  soldiers  and  Boxers  on 
top  of  the  city  wall.  I  went  west  to  the  Ssu 
Pal  Lou,  thence  south  to  the  Tan  Pai  Lou, 
where  I  turned  west  toward  the  British  Le- 
gation. 

All  the  way  through  the  city  I  was  compelled 


YAO  CHEN-YUAN  203 

to  saunter  slowly,  as  though  I  were  merely  look- 
ing about  and  not  going  anywhere,  so  that  it 
took  me  from  noon  till  evening  to  go  from  the 
East  gate  to  the  Legation.  The  soldiers  in  the 
lines  between  the  Chinese  and  foreign  quarters 
were  gambling  as  I  passed  and  paid  no  attention 
to  me.  In  the  Austrian  Legation  grounds  I 
noticed  a  Chinese  soldier  digging  as  though  for 
treasure.  Walking  up  to  him  1  addressed  him 
thus  : 

"  Hello!     Captain,  what  are  you  doing  .? " 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  said  he,  staring 
at  me  and  speaking  in  a  loud  voice. 

"  Please  do  not  speak  so  loud,"  said  I  in  an 
undertone,  as  though  to  enter  into  a  secret 
alliance  with  him,  "  I  was  originally  a  coolie  in 
this  place.  My  home  is  in  the  country  and  I 
have  just  been  to  see  if  my  family  were  killed, 
and  finding  them  safe  I  have  returned  to  get 
some  treasure  I  have  in  the  Su  Wang  Fu." 

"  How  much  have  you?"  he  inquired. 

"  About  one  thousand  dollars." 

"  What  is  your  name  }''  he  inquired  further. 

"  Yao  Chen-yuan.  What  is  your  honorable 
name  ?  " 

"  Wu  Lien-t'ai,"  he  replied ;  "  now  you  go  and  get 
your  silver  and  we  two  will  open  an  opium  shop." 

**  Very  well,"  I  replied. 

"  Have  you  any  silver  with  you  ?"  he  asked. 

"Only  about  four  or  five  ounces." 

"  Well,  you  give  that  to  me.     Not  that  I  want 


204  CHINESE  HEROES 

the  silver,  but  it  will  cement  our  friendship  and 
I  will  return  it  to  you  when  you  come  back." 

"Very  well,"  said  I,  giving  him  what  silver 
I  had. 

While  we  were  talking  an  officer  with  forty  or 
fifty  soldiers  came  up  and  wanted  to  have  me 
killed. 

"  Do  not  kill  him,"  said  the  soldier  to  whom  I 
had  been  talking ;  "  he  is  an  old  friend  of  mine 
from  the  country,  here  to  make  money  out  of 
the  foreigners." 

"  If  he  is  a  friend  of  yours,  what  is  his 
name  ?  " 

"Yao  Chen-yuan,"  he  replied. 

"What  is  this  soldier's  name.^^"  asked  the 
officer,  turning  to  me. 

"  Wu  Lien-t'ai,"  I  answered,  without  hesita- 
tion. 

"Quite  right,"  he  said,  and  passed  on  to  the 
Great  street. 

Just  then  a  crowd  of  Boxers  came  up,  and  the 
leader  asked  : 

"  What  is  this  fellow  doing  here?" 

"  Do  not  meddle  with  my  affairs,"  said  the 
soldier,  "  he  is  my  friend,"  and  with  this  they 
passed  on,  leaving  us  alone 

"  Now  you  go  into  Su  Wang  Fu,"  said  the 
soldier,  "  and  get  your  money  ;  and  if  you  can- 
not come  out  to-morrow  stand  behind  the  wall 
and  hold  your  hand  aloft  that  I  may  know  you 
are  safe." 


YAO  CHEN-YUAN  S05 

"  Very  well,"  I  replied,  "  but  how  am  I  to 
get  in  ?  " 

"  I  will  take  you  to  the  end  of  that  alley,  where 
you  will  be  safe,"  he  said,  at  which  place  I  bade 
him  oood  afternoon.  In  a  few  moments  the 
Japanese  soldiers,  who  had  observed  and  recog- 
nized me,  pulled  me  up  over  the  wall  and  I  was 
once  more  safe. 

I  was  at  once  taken  to  the  officer  and  met  Mr. 
Squiers,  to  whom  I  delivered  the  letters.  When 
he  saw  me  ripping  open  the  hat  and  taking  them 
out,  one  after  another,  until  I  had  given  him 
eleven,  he  could  not  refrain  from  laughing. 

He  took  me  with  him  to  the  American  Leea- 
tion,  where  as  we  entered  he  held  aloft  the  let- 
ters. The  people  clapped  their  hands  and 
cheered  and  many  of  them  wanted  to  talk  with 
me,  but  I  was  led  out  through  the  Russian  into 
the  British  Legation.  Here  I  met  Mr.  King,  who 
after  a  short  conversation  asked  me  for  my  hat. 

"  It  is  all  ripped  apart,"  I  replied. 

"  I  can  sew  it  together  again,"  he  answered. 

"  What  do  you  want  to  do  with  it  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  Take  it  back  to  America  as  a  relic  of  your 
trip,"  said  he. 

While  we  were  talking  someone  came  to  say 
that  Lady  MacDonald  wanted  to  see  me  and 
hear  about  my  trip,  to  whom  I  told  it  much  as 
I  have  told  it  to  you,  not  even  concealing  the 
deceit  I  was  sometimes  compelled  to  practice.  In 
order,  as  I  then  supposed,  to  accomplish  my  ends. 


206  CHINESE  HEROES 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  PERSECUTIONS  AT 
TSUN-HUA. 

The  14th  of  May,  1900,  will  never  be  forgot- 
ten by  the  church  at  Tsun-hua,  for  it  was  on  that 
day  that  the  schools,  containing  one  hundred  boys 
and  girls,  were  closed,  the  missionaries  received 
a  telegram  to  leave  the  city,  and  the  church 
members  were  advised  to  flee  to  their  own 
homes. 

When  applied  to  for  protection  the  official 
could  only  wring  his  hands  and  promise  noth- 
ing. Eleven  men  were  appointed  to  watch  the 
compound  day  and  night.  After  darkness  had 
fallen  the  missionaries  drove  away,  and  we 
knew  not  whether  we  should  ever  see  them 
again,  and  before  morning  the  compound  was 
deserted  with  the  exception  of  the  pastor  of 
the  church,  the  matron  of  the  girls'  school  and 
a  few  boys  and  girls  who  had  no  homes  to 
which  to  flee. 

Two  days  later  a  child  who  sold  sesame  cakes, 
said  to  be  possessed  of  a  spirit,  was  dressed  in  a 
long  red  garment,  taken  to  the  temple  and  placed 
on  the  throne  of  the  "goddess  of  mercy,"  where 
he  pretended  to  be  sent  from  heaven  to  save  the 
people  of  the  place;  to  accomplish  this  end  he 
circulated  the  report  that  in  the  mission  com- 


PERSECUTIONS  AT  TSUN-HUA  207 

pound  there  were  nine  large  guns,  and  that  if 
they,  with  the  church  and  residences,  were  not 
all  destroyed  calamity  was  sure  to  befall. 

The  whole  city  was  in  an  uproar  ;  and  from 
all  sides  as  well  as  the  surrounding  country  the 
people  flocked  to  burn  incense  to  the  little  im- 
postor— even  the  city  official  knocked  his  head 
to  him  ;  but  as  the  Boxers  soon  began  to  quarrel 
among  themselves  the  child  was  pulled  from  the 
throne,  and  a  little  later,  at  the  suggestion  of 
Pastor  Liu,  the  official 
had  him  arrested. 

In  order,  if  possible, 
to  save  the  women  the 
pastor  and  the  doctor 
sent  their  wives  with  the 
girls'  school  teacher,  Hsii 
Hui-fanof  and  some  of 
the  school  girls  to  the 
home  of  a  Christian  out- 
Side  the  Great  Wall.     A 

few  days  later  Dr.  Hsu  went  to  see  how  they 
fared  and  was  just  in  time  to  be  arrested,  with 
them,  by  a  large  company  of  Boxers.  Word 
was  brought  to  Pastor  Liu,  who  at  once 
applied  to  the  official  and  secured  a  squad 
of  soldiers  and  went  to  their  relief.  In  the 
meantime  his  wife  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hsii  had 
escaped  and  fled  to  the  mountains,  where  they 
spent  the  night  in  a  cave.  The  girls'  school 
teacher  was  the  only  one  of  the  party  rescued. 


S08  CHINESE  HEROES 

the  girls  having  been  forced  to  wife  with  the 
robbers  before  the  arrival  of  the  soldiers. 

Thirteen  days  after  the  foreigners  left  the  peo- 
ple went  out  en  masse  to  meet  a  new  Boxer 
teacher,  who  was  said  to  be  so  powerful  and 
skillful  in  the  rites  of  the  order  as  to  be  able  to 
make  a  Boxer  god  out  of  a  new  recruit  in  the 
short  space  of  seven  days.  The  following  day 
the  whole  city  was  in  an  uproar,  and  we  could 
hear  them  calling  out, 

"  Kill  the  followers  of  the  foreigners  and  burn 
their  churches  and  homes,  and  rid  the  country  of 
everything  foreign." 

At  this  time  but  three  caretakers,  three  women 
and  a  boy  were  in  the  mission  compound.  As 
the  boy  was  leaving  he  met  three  of  the  school 
girls  returning. 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  asked  they,  with  tears 
streaming  from  their  eyes.  "  Where  are  you 
going,  and  where  can  we  go  ?  " 

"  I  am  simply  fleeing!     I  know  not  where  to 

go." 

"  Brother,  there  is  no  one  to  help  us ;  can 
you  not  think  of  some  way  to  save  us  1 " 

The  boy  took  their  bundles  and  they  started 
off  together;  wandering  about  until  nightfall. 
He  then  led  them  to  the  home  of  the  mission 
gardener,  where  they  all  remained  that  night,  after 
which  the  girls  were  placed  in  three  heathen 
homes.  Two  of  them  were  killed  and  the  other 
returned  to  the  school  after  the  trouble  was  past. 


PERSECUTIONS  AT  TSUN-HUA         209 

"What  plans  have  you?"  said  the  chief  of 
police  to  Pastor  Liu  the  following  day. 

"  I  have  no  plans  for  myself,"  answered  Pastor 
Liu,  "  other  than  to  die  for  the  Lord  here." 

"Come,  let  us  become  lifelong  brothers,  and  I 
will  save  you,"  he  proposed. 

"  I  have  no  objections,"  answered  the  pastor, 
"  only  I  am  more  anxious  about  three  of  the 
school  girls  than  about  myself." 

"  I  will  save  them,  too,"  he  answered. 

This  was  a  generous  offer  which  Pastor  Liu 
dared  not  accept,  as  he  knew  the  character  of 
such  men  to  be  too  questionable  to  justify  him 
in  entrusting  school  girls  to  their  care.  He 
therefore  made  other  plans  for  the  girls. 

No  sooner  had  the  people  all  left  the  com- 
pound than  it  was  surrounded,  looted  and  burned 
by  the  Boxers.  When  they  returned  to  the  city 
to  loot  and  burn  the  city  chapel  the  pastor  fled 
to  the  north  side  of  the  city  followed  by  a  crowd 
of  Boxers.  The  chief  of  police,  true  to  his  prom- 
ise, rescued  him,  and  sent  him  with  several 
trusted  men  to  a  village  north  of  the  city  where 
his  family  had  already  been  hidden  ;  but  as  they 
had  fled  to  the  North  Mountains  he  followed 
them,  and  was  finally  sent  to  the  home  of  one 
Mrs.  Yen,  a  relative  of  the  chief  of  police,  who 
at  great  risk  of  her  own  life  received  both  him 
and  his  family  most  hospitably  and  entertained 
them  for  a  month. 

When  the  Boxers  heard  where  they  were  they 

14 


210  CHINESE  HEROES 

threatened  to  take  them  all  prisoners,  and  Mrs. 
Yen  came  to  the  pastor  in  great  agitation. 
"  Come  with  me  at  once,"  she  said,  "  and  worship 
at  the  altar  of  the  goddess  of  mercy  ;  it  is,  I  fear, 
the  only  way  to  escape  their  wTath." 

"  It  is  you  who  have  entertained  and  cared  for 
us,"  said  he,  "  why  then  should  I  worship  that 
idol }  I  would  rather  knock  my  head  to  you 
than  to  that  mud  image." 

At  this  time  Pastor  Liu  received  the  following 
terse  note  from  the  chief  of  police  : 

"  Meet  me  at  Ta  Ho  Chii  village  as  soon  as 
possible." 

At  three  o'clock  a.  m.  he  started  and  walked 
to  the  village  to  meet  his  adopted  brother. 

"  What  is  the  condition  of  affairs  in  and  about 
the  city } "  he  asked  at  once.  "  Who  of  the 
church  members  have  been  murdered  and  who 
are  safe  ?  " 

"  The  girls'  school  teacher  was  brutally  mas- 
sacred while  exhorting  her  friends  not  to  weep 
for  her  and  to  be  true  to  their  faith." 

"  What  became  of  her  grandmother.?" 

"She  fled  to  the  mountains,  where  it  is  sup- 
posed she  starved  to  death." 

"And  the  Tou  family .V 

"  Tou  Pin,  the  father,  was  taken  to  the  mission 
compound.  On  the  way  he  said  he  was  thirsty, 
and  asked  them  for  a  drink  of  water.  They  told 
him  he  did  not  need  a  drink  as  they  were  going 
to  kill  him  in  the  mission  premises." 


PERSECUTIONS  AT  TSUN-HUA  211 

"  What  did  he  say  ?  " 

"  He  said  he  never  thought  he  should  have 
the  good  fortune  to  die  as  a  martyr  at  the  place 
where  he  first  heard  the  gospel  and  received 
baptism." 

"How  did  they  kill  him?" 

"  They  cut  out  his  heart  and  took  it  to  their 
headquarters,  where  it  was  put  up  in  a  conspic- 
uous place  for  some  days." 

"  And  his  family  ?  " 

"  His  third,  fourth,  and  fifth  sons,  with  his 
daughter-in-law,  were  all  killed,  as  they  were 
unwilling  to  renounce  their  faith." 

"  What  became  of  the  book-seller,  Fu  Tuan.f^" 

"  He,  with  Ho  Ch'uan-sheng,  was  massacred. 
The  Boxers  offered  them  their  lives  if  they 
would  recant,  and  worship  their  gods,  but  all  in 
vain.  They  said  they  would  rather  die  than  deny 
their  Lord." 

"  Were  there  any  others  killed  in  the  mission 
compound  ?" 

"  One  day  I  noticed  the  Boxers  bringing  in 
three  persons  whom  on  inquiry  I  found  to  be 
Yang  Fu-chin,his  wife,  and  a  Mrs.  Wang.  They 
were  covered  with  mud,  and  looked  tired  and 
hungry,  while  the  hair  of  each  was  clutched  by  a 
Boxer  by  whom  they  were  led  to  the  mission 
compound  and  there  put  to  death." 

"  Can  you  tell  me  of  any  of  the  others  who 
suffered  ?  " 

"Scarcely  a  day  has  passed  that  has  not  wit- 


212  CHINESE  HEROES 

nessed  the  death  of  some  of  the  boys  or  girls  of 
your  schools  or  some  of  your  Christians." 

"  What  about  the  Christians  at  other  places  ?" 

"  I  have  heard  that  twenty-four  of  the  Chris- 
tians at  Pao  Tzu  Yu,led  by  a  helper,  Chia,  went 
to  the  top  of  a  mountain  and  with  nothing  but  a 
spear,  a  pistol  and  a  few  carrying  poles  resisted 
a  company  of  Boxers  with  great  bravery." 

"  How  was  that?" 

"  When  they  saw  the  Boxers  coming  they 
placed  the  women  and  children  in  the  center 
with  thirteen  men  around  them.  The  Boxers 
attacked  them  with  swords,  spears  and  guns, 
and  they  would  have  held  out  longer  but  for  the 
fact  that  the  children  clung  to  their  legs  and 
garments.  It  was  thus  the  helper  Chia  fell ; 
and  as  he  fell  one  Chang  came  to  his  aid  and 
thus  their  lines  were  broken.  As  Chang  came 
up  a  Boxer  made  a  lunge  at  him,  but  the  spear 
went  under  his  arm.  Snatching  it  he  thrust  it 
through  the  Boxer's  neck,  and  calling  out, 'Every 
one  for  himself!'  he  pushed  the  Boxer  before 
him  through  the  mob  and  thus  escaped." 

"  Was  he  injured  ?  " 

"  He  was  struck  by  a  volley  of  stones,  one  of 
which  cut  off  his  queue,  which  was  wrapped 
around  his  head,  and  which  thus,  no  doubt, 
saved  him." 

"  Did  none  of  the  rest  escape  ?  " 

"  I  understand  that  Chang  broke  his  spear  in 
two,  giving  half  of  it  to  his  brother  who    had 


PERSECUTIONS  AT  TSUN-HUA         213 

fought  his  way  to  his  side,  and  the  two  es- 
caped." 

Pastor  Liu  left  the  chief  of  poHce  in  heavi- 
ness at  the  news  he  had  heard,  but  his  mind  was 
soon  turned  in  another  direction  by  what  he 
learned  in  an  adjacent  village — that  Mrs.  Yen 
and  his  own  family  had  been  taken  prisoners  by 
the  Boxers. 

He  hurried  back  and  reported  to  the  chief 
what  he  had  heard.  Advising  him  to  flee  to  the 
mountains  the  chief  returned  in  haste  to  Tsun- 
hua  to  put  into  operation  plans  for  saving  the 
family.  From  the  mountain  peak  Pastor  Liu 
could  see  his  wife  and  nephews  with  the  others 
driven,  bound,  to  the  city.  At  the  same  time  the 
chief  sent  thirty  men  to  the  head  Boxer  to  in- 
tercede for  the  prisoners.  After  three  days  they 
were  liberated  on  the  payment  of  $60,  and — 
let  the  pastor  tell  the  story : 

"  Mrs.  Yen  took  my  wife  and  child  to  an  inn, 
where  she  kept  them  for  some  days,  after  which 
she  took  them  to  the  home  of  the  chief  of  police, 
where  on  the  22nd  of  the  7th  month  I  saw  them 
once  more.  A  company  of  one  thousand  Boxers 
came  to  take  us  prisoners  and  we  fled  to  a  cave 
in  the  mountains,  where  for  more  than  a  month 
I  was  prostrated  with  fever.  During  this  time  I 
ceased  not  to  pray  that  the  Lord  would  take  me, 
and  not  let  me  fall  into  the  hands  of  my  ene- 
mies ;  for  while  thus  weak  and  sick  I  could  not 
but  feel  that  it  would  be  well  if  1   could  go  and 


214  CHINESE  HEROES 

be  with  those  of  my  church  members  who  had 
been  massacred.  The  chief  sent  a  doctor  to  see 
me  but  we  dared  not  let  our  whereabouts  be 
known,  even  the  doctor  deemnig  it  necessary  to 
change  his  name  while  attending  on  me." 

When  Pastor  Liu  began  to  recover  he  was 
taken  to  the  arsenal  and  remained  there  for  a 
fortnight.  Then  news  began  to  arrive  that  the 
Chinese  had  been  defeated  at  Tientsin  and 
Peking,  and  the  Boxers  began  to  disperse.  He 
decided  to  go  at  once  to  Tientsin.  On  his  way 
he  found  General  Feng's  soldiers  fighting  the 
Boxers,  especially  at  P'ing  An  Cheng,  the  place 
where  the  most  of  the  Christians  had  been  taken 
to  be  put  to  death  ;  altogether  in  that  region 
fifty-eight  Boxer  villages  were  burned  to  the 
ground  by  the  Chinese  soldiers. 

After  remaining  for  a  few  w^eeks  in  Tientsin 
he  returned  to  Tsun-hua.  Here  he  found  a  com- 
pany of  English,  French  and  Russian  troops 
sent  by  the  Allies  to  see  to  the  settling  up  of 
the  difficulties.  A  large  proportion  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  city  as  well  as  of  the  surrounding 
country  fled,  and  the  official  who  had  had  charge 
of  affairs  during  all  these  troublous  times  en- 
treated him  to  act  as  middle  man  in  the  proposed 
settlement.  This  he  did,  and  after  the  foreign 
troops  had  departed,  at  the  request  of  the  magis- 
trate, he  made  out  a  list  of  the  losses  of  the 
Christians,  which  were  promptly  paid  by  the 
official. 


Mrs.  Li  and   Her  CHild 


MRS.  LI  AND  HER  CHILD  217 


MRS*  LI  AND  HER  CHILD 

Mrs.  Li  and  her  child,  with  five  other  famih'es, 
were  carried  by  the  Boxers  to  the  palace  of 
Prince  Tuan,  their  chief.  While  they  were  con- 
fined it  was  discovered  that  this  child  had  re- 
cently been  vaccinated  and  they  were  led  to  sus- 
pect that  they  were  not  Christians.  After  a 
little  while  the  child  crept  out  and  began  playing 
with  the  swords  of  the  Boxers,  which  confirmed 
their  suspicions,  for,  they  reasoned,  "  If  they  were 
Christians  the  child  would  fear  rather  than  play 
with  the  sword,"  and  at  once  they  were  liberated 
and  allowed  to  return  to  their  home. 


218  CHINESE  HEROES 


THE  EPWORTH  LEAGUE 

We  had  rather  a  novel  experience  meeting  in 
Peking,  some  months  after  the  siege,  which  I 
have  no  doubt  will  strike  the  reader  as  peculiar, 
even  as  it  did  the  writer.  It  was  desired  to 
know  the  various  trials  through  which  the  mem- 
bers had  passed  during  the  Boxer  troubles,  and 
in  order  to  do  so  we  called  them  together. 

The  place  of  meeting  was  no  less  novel  than 
the  meeting  itself,  it  being  a  large  Boxer  rendez- 
vous contiguous  to  the  city  wall,  just  west  of  the 
Ch'ien  Men,  or  principal  gate  of  the  city. 

We  had  difficulty  in  securing  the  attendance 
of  some  who  were  engaged  in  important  work  at 
a  distance,  but  finally  succeeded  in  bringing  to- 
gether a  fairly  representative  audience.  In  or- 
der to  add  to  the  interest  of  the  assembly,  and 
make  it  more  general,  we  concluded  to  invite 
those  of  the  alumni  who  were  within  easy  reach, 
and  who  had  always  been  enthusiastic  workers 
while  in  college.  It  will  be  as  impossible  as  un- 
necessary to  give  the  experiences  of  all,  both  be- 
cause of  their  number  and  their  similarity ;  but 
consulting  the  report  of  our  stenographers  we 
will  select  such  as  we  think  of  interest  to  gen- 
eral readers  and  will  best  represent  the  experi- 
ences and  character  of  the  members  as  a  whole. 


THE  EPWORTH  LEAGUE  219 

It  was  decided  that  we  should  not  content 
ourselves  with  listening  to  the  rehearsal  of  the 
experiences  of  each  individual,  but  that  we  should 
admit  any  scraps  of  information  by  others  con- 
cerning the  character  and  conduct  of  the  one  in 
question ;  for  we  were  sure  that  certain  modest 
members  would  suppress  such  facts  of  their  past 
lives  as  would  prevent  our  seeing  the  persecu- 
tions in  their  proper  settings.  We  discovered 
therefore  when  the  meeting  was  over  and  the 
minutes  properly  recorded,  that  we  had  obtained 
short  biographies  of  most  of  the  members. 

They  selected  as  their  chairman  one 

CH'IN  LUNG-CHANG 

an  alumnus  who  had  been  enthusiastic  in  the 
work  of  the  League  since  its  foundation. 

"Tell  us  how  you  became  a  Christian,"  said 
one   of  the  younger    boys. 

"  Oh,  you  do  not  want 
my  whole  history,"  said  the 
chairman. 

"  Yes ;  tell  us  that  part 
of  it,"  was  echoed  from  sev- 
eral parts  of  the  house. 

"  My  grandfather,"  began 
the  chairman,  "joined  the 
church  on   probation  while       cK-ir.  L..r.g-oHa,.g 

in  Tientsin,  but  feared  to  openly  embrace  Chris- 
tianity when  he  returned  to  his  native  town  ; 
but  as  he  told  us  about  it  I  became  interested 


220  CHINESE  HEROES 

and  joined  the  church,  and  thus  became  the 
humble  instrument  In  the  hands  of  God  of  lead- 
ing father,  mother,  brothers  and  sisters  Into  the 
fold.  When  I  graduated  from  college  I  was 
tempted  to  seek  official  position  through  friends 
of  my  maternal  grandfather,  who  had  been  a 
District  Magistrate,  or  of  my  uncle,  who  was  a 
Han  Lin  and  Literary  Chancellor,  but  was  pre- 
vented from  doing  so  by  a  revival  service  held 
about  that  time  by  Mr.  Pyke,  and,  as  you  all 
know,  I  became  the  principal  of  the  Interme- 
diate school. 

"  At  the  beginning  of  the  uprising  I  took  my 
family  home,  only  to  find  that  the  Boxers  were 
on  every  hand.  I  put  my  wife  and  babies  Into 
the  hands  of  her  relatives,  who  were  heathen,  and 
friends  of  the  Boxers,  and  with  my  mother, 
brother  and  sister,  and  some  other  friends,  fled 
to  the  mountains.  The  ladles  of  the  party  were 
secreted  in  caves  and  ravines  during  the  day  and 
at  night  fled  to  other  places  of  refuge.  For  a  small 
consideration  we  hired  a  mountain  shepherd  to 
bring  us  food  and  water  and  keep  us  Informed 
as  to  the  Boxers'  whereabouts. 

"  Among  the  party  was  a  heathen  uncle,  and 
it  became  necessary  to  leave  the  women  in  his 
hands  while  my  brother  and  I  fled  to  Shan  Hal 
Kuan,  thinking  that  thus  we  mighi  reach  Mon- 
golia or  Manchuria,  or  perhaps  Korea.  As  this 
was  not  feasible  we  returned  to  Pel  Tai  Ho,  by 
the  sea,  where  we  fell  in  with  certain  merchants 


THE  EPWORTH  LEAGUE  221 

from  Chefoo  who  told  us  that  the  presence  of 
foreign  war-ships  guaranteed  peace  at  the  latter 
place.  Whereupon  we  secured  passage  and 
reached  Chefoo  in  safety,  a  certain  Christian 
teacher  named  Ts'ai  having  furnished  us  with 
the  requisite  silver  to  defray  our  expenses.  Here 
we  were  cared  for  by  the  Presbyterian  mission 
until  we  secured  employment  as  teachers  of 
Mandarin  or  the  condition  of  the  country  war- 
ranted our  return  to  Tientsin  and  thence  to  Pe- 
king." 

The  secretary  of  the  meeting  was  a  young 
grandfather  of  some  fifty-one  summers,  weighing 
in  the  neighborhood  or  two  hundred  and  fifty 

pounds,  named 

LU  WAN  T'lEN 

During  the  course  of  the  meeting  it  leaked 
out  that  while  in  Shanghai,  some  years  ago,  this 
young  man  had  observed  Chinese  women  in 
chairs  going  to  church  service,  and  supposing 
their  object  evil,  and  their  destination  the  office 
or  home  of  the  foreigner,  he  conceived  an  in- 
tense hatred  for  the  latter.  In  Tientsin  he  again 
saw  crowds  of  men  and  women  gathering  at  the 
foreigner's  place,  which  increased  his  hatred  and 
led  him  to  despise  the  ignorant  people,  who 
were  thus  hoodwinked,  more  than  the  foreigners 
themselves. 

He  had  been  an  opium  smoker  and  a  wor- 
shiper of  his  ancestors,  and  during  a  certain  New 
Year's    festival,  having    properly  arranged    the 


2^^  CHINESE  HEROES 

sacrifices  before  the  ancestral  tablets,  he  had 
gone  to  call  upon  his  friends.  On  his  return  he 
found  that  his  servant  had  allowed  a  cat  to  up- 
set the  tablets  and  devour  the  sacrifices,  and  in 
a  fit  of  anger  he  first  beat  and  then  dismissed 
the  unprofitable  servant. 

"  All  this  is  the  result  of  opium-smoking,"  he 
meditated. 

"  Why  not  give  up  the  pipe  } "  asked  Con- 
science. 

"  I  will  do  it ;  but  how } "  he  inquired  of 
himself 

"  Let  yourself  up  easy  with  opium  pills,"  said 
Appetite. 

He  purchased  a  quantity  of  opium  pills,  in- 
vented by  incompetent  or  unprincipled  physi- 
cians, who  had  as  much  care  for  their  purse  as 
for  their  patient.  All  of  these  he  used  in  some 
weeks  without  achieving  any  result  other  than  a 
conviction  that  it  was  the  same  drug  in  a  differ- 
ent form. 

"  Why  not  go  to  the  missionary  hospital  }  " 
inquired  one  of  his  friends.  "  There,  after  a 
few  days'  agony,  you  will  obtain  a  sure  cure 
with  but  little  expense  and  no  uncertainty." 

"  Go  to  the  missionary  hospital  ?  No !  I 
would  rather  die  than  come  under  the  influence 
of  the  Foreign  Devil!"  he  exclaimed,  remem- 
bering the  things  he  supposed  he  had  seen  in 
Shanghai  and  Tientsin. 

But  marble  is  not   more  certainly  worn  away 


THE  EPWORTH  LEAGUE  223 

by  the  constant  dropping  of  water  than  was  his 
prejudice  by  the  daily  urging  of  his  friends  ;  and 
he  was  finally  persuaded  to  apply  for  admission, 
which  was  granted,  and  he  was  shut  up  in  a 
prison  ward.  After  a  few  days'  treatment  his 
opium  appetite  was  permanently  destroyed. 

During  these  days  the  assistants  tried  to  re- 
gale him  with  conversation  and  books,  but  all  to 
no  purpose.  He  was  a  literary  graduate,  hav- 
ing all  the  pride  that — with  all  deference  to  its 
other  virtues — Confucianism  lends  to  its  vota- 
ries, while  they  were  only  uneducated  followers 
of  the  Foreigner.  They  gave  him  copies  of  the 
Gospels  written  in  the  Mandarin  or  spoken  lan- 
guage ;  but  they  only  aroused  within  him  a 
loathing  for  such  a  display  of  plebeian  taste. 
They  secured  a  copy  of  Martin's  Evidences  of 
Christianity,  This  he  opened  with  a  sneer, 
glanced  at  with  Indifference  which  soon  changed 
to  surprise,  then  to  Interest,  and  finally  to 
admiration. 

"Ah  what  is  this!"  said  he  to  himself;  "are 
these  foreigners  also  able  to  write  books  in  our 
classical  language  1 "  and  he  read  the  book  with 
avidity. 

A  year  afterward  he  applied  for  baptism, 
after  which  he  returned  to  the  school  he  was 
teaching  and  called  together  his  pupils,  address- 
ing them  as  follows : 

"  My  pupils,  I  have  that  to  say  to  you  which 
may  have  some  Influence  upon  our  future  rela- 


224  CHINESE  HEROES 

tions.  I  am  a  Christian,  and  I  shall  be  glad  to 
continue  to  teach  you  all  if  you  so  desire  ;  but 
if  you  do  not  wish  to  remain  in  school  I  will  be 
frank  wath  you  and  let  you  know  that  I  am  de- 
termined to  live  a  Christian  life  hereafter." 

All  but  four  of  his  students  left  and  he  found 
himself  under  the  necessity  of  seeking  other  em- 
ployment or  another  school. 

A  short  time  thereafter  the  Peking  Univer- 
sity, when  seeking  a  teacher,  discovered  and 
employed  him,  in  which  position  he  still  re- 
mained when  the  Boxer  movement  broke  out. 

When  organization  became  necessary  to  self- 
preservation  Teacher  Lu  was  made  the  chair- 
man of  the  General  Committee  of  the  Chinese 
Forces,  on  the  principle  that  the  advice  of  an 
educated  man  who  tips  the  scales  at  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pounds  is  more  valuable  than  his 
prowess  when  the  thermometer  registers  one 
hundred  in  the  shade.  Few  perhaps  endured 
more  than  he  did  during  the  siege,  though  his 
sufferings  were  thermic  and  gastronomic  rather 
than  nervous,  and  as  he  kept  a  diary,  which  has 
since  been  published  and  has  a  good  circulation 
in  Japan  as  well  as  in  China,  he,  like  many 
others,   proved  himself  useful  in  his  particular 

line* 

WANG  CHIH-P'ING 

was  a  member  of  the  class  of  1900.  He  had 
withstood  the  temptations  of  a  lucrative  position 
in  secular  employment  and  had  entered  the  min- 


THE  EPWORTH  LEAGUE  225 

istry  on  a  salary  one  fifth  of  what  he  had  been 
offered  elsewhere. 

"  I  had  been  preaching  one  year,"  he  says, 
"and  on  May  loth  I  returned  to  Peking  for  the 
double  purpose  of  attending  the  annual  con- 
ference and  being  married,  the  latter  event  com- 
ing off  on  May  23rd,  and  the  conference  began 
a  week  later. 

"  Our  intention  was  to  return  to  our  work  as 
soon  as  the  conference  adjourned ;  but  we  soon 
discovered  that  the  railroad 
had  been  torn  up  and  all 
traffic  had  ceased.  Those 
who  had  come  alone  went 
away  in  carts;  but  as  my 
appointment  was  two  weeks' 
distance  from  Peking  by 
mule-cart,  it  did  not  seem 
wise  to  start  on  such  a  trip 
through  boxer  regions  with 
a  newly  married  wife,  as  they  would  easily  dis- 
cover that  we  were  Christians.  I  therefore  re- 
mained in  Peking. 

"  During  the  siege  I  was  made  one  of  the  mes- 
senger boys.  At  first,  I  confess  I  was  very 
much  afraid  of  the  whistling  bullets  and  shriek- 
ing shells,  but  after  a  few  days  they  did  not  dis- 
turb me.  My  own  greatest  suffering,  I  think, 
was  caused  by  hunger,  as  we  were  allowed  but 
nine  ounces  of  flour  apiece. 

"  As  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  go  to  our  ap- 

15 


226  CHINESE  HEROES 

polntments  at  the  close  of  the  siege  because  of 
the  disturbed  condition  of  the  country,  I  was 
employed  by  one  of  the  military  officers  as  an 
interpreter,  which  position  I  retained  till  the 
country  resumed  its  normal  condition. 

"While  I  was  working  In  the  police  station 
of  the  American  district,  the  Chinese  of  that 
region  offered  to  take  up  a  subscription  which 
they  intended  to  present  to  me,  no  doubt,  as 
a  bribe,  but  as  I  refused  it  they  presented  me 
with  an  honorary  scroll  instead." 

It  ought  to  be  remarked  that  It  leaked  out  in 
conversation  with  others  during  the  meeting, 
that  the  subscription  mentioned  by  Mr.  Wang 
would  have  amounted  to  several  hundred  ounces 
of  silver,  and  that  as  soon  as  the  country  be- 
came settled,  he  gave  up  his  position  and  salary 
of  $  TOO  per  month  and  went  to  his  appointment 
on   his    small  salary  leaving  his  young  wife  in 

Peking. 

LIU  KUANG-CH'ING 

graduated  from  the  Peking  University  with  the 
class  of '98.  It  was  a  strong  class,  and  he  was 
the  best  English  speaker,  and  as  a  consequence 
tempting  offers  of  five  times  what  the  church 
could  pay  for  his  services  were  made  to  him 
without  eliciting  even  so  much  as  his  consid- 
eration. 

Entering  the  conference  as  a  Methodist  min- 
ister he  was  appointed  to  a  circuit  outside  the 
Great  Wall  beyond  Shan  Hal  Kuan,  where  his 


THE  EPWORTH  LEAGUE 


227 


work  during  his  first  year  will  be  best  understood 
from  the  following  narrative  of  "A  Missionary 
Trip"  by  Miss  Alice  Terrell,  made  at  the  close 
of  her  summer  vacation  in 
1899,  and  printed  in  the 
World-Wide  Missions  of 
January,  1900 : 

"  A  recent  trip  into  the 
country  was  a  source  of 
deep  satisfaction  to  me, 
showing  as  it  did  the  re- 
sult of  Christian  education 
as    a  preparation   tor  our 

preachers    for    the    spreading    of     the    Gospel 

here  in  China.     Most  of  our  preachers  at  this 

stage  of  our  work  are  necessarily  men  who  have 

not  been  educated  in  Christian  schools,  but  in 

advanced  manhood  have  taken  a  course  in  our 

Bible  training  schools  ;  and  while,  for  the  most 

_  part,  they  are  earnest  work- 

^^^^  ers,    Christianity     has     not 

■Ml^  been     bred    in     the     bone, 

;*     ^  and     they    can     only    give 

what     they    have    received. 

Now    there    is    coming    on 

a    new   class    of   preachers, 

young    men     from    Peking 

University,  who  have  been 

trained   from    childhood    in 

our  schools,  have  lived  in  a  Christian  atmosphere, 

and  have  had  careful,  prayerful,  personal  atten- 


Liu  Fang 


228  CHINESE  HEROES 

tion  through  the  years.  Their  preaching  marks 
a  new  era  in  the  evangelization  of  China,  and  is 
the  promise  of  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  here. 
"  I  had  long  wished  to  visit  some  of  their 
work,  but  my  connection  with  the  university  had 
up  to  this  time  prevented.  This  year  I  had  the 
opportunity,  and  on  Sept.  9  I  landed  in  Shan 
Hai  Kuan,  the  point  where  the  great  wall  of 
China,  creeping  over  the  mountains,  finally  buries 
its  head  in  the  sea.  As  I  stepped  from  the  train 
a  young  man  sprang  through  the  crowd  and  gave 
me  a  quick,  warm  welcome.  This  was  Tseng 
Kuo-chih,  or,  as  he  is  known  to  his  patron  in 
America,  Peter  Durst.  He  is  one  of  our  gradu- 
ates of  the  class  of  1895,  and  is  the  preacher  in 
charge  at  this  point.  Earnest,  eager  for  souls, 
he  not  only  performs  his  duties  as  pastor  of  the 
church,  but  has  also  organized  and  has  charge  of 
a  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  tele- 
graph students,  among  whom  he  is  doing  a  noble 
work.  To  one  who  knows  the  fearful  tempta- 
tions to  which  Western  progress  exposes  the 
young  men  of  China,  the  knowledge  of  the  work 
done  among  these  young  men  by  young  Durst 
brings  a  thrill  of  deep  gratitude,  and  we  give 
sincere  thanks  that  he  has  seen  this  open  door 
and  entered  it.  These  young  men  show  their 
appreciation  of  his  services  by  furnishing  his 
support.  I  wish  I  could  tarry  longer  and  let 
you  see  more  of  his  life,  his  simple  home,  so  neat 
and  clean,  his  bride,  a  sweet,  modest  girl  from 


THE  EPWORTH  LEAGUE 

our  Girls' School ;  but  after  one  night  with  them 
and  the  presiding  elder,  Te  Mu-shih,  whose 
lovely  daughter  lay  dying  of  that  fell  disease  of 
China,  consumption,  I  was  obliged  to  push  on 
to  my  second  point,  Shih  Men  Chai,  a  distance 
of  fifteen  miles  over  the  mountains.  This  jour- 
ney was  to  be  taken  on  donkeys,  but  as  there 
are  none  in  Shan  Hai  Kuan,  we  waited  till  they 
came  in  with  coal,  and  one  of  the  beasts  which 
brought  the  fuel  carried  me  back.  What  was 
my  consternation,  when  it  appeared,  to  find  no 
pack,  but  a  wooden  frame  fitted  over  the  ani- 
mals back,  and  no  stirrups.  A  comforter  folded 
up  and  placed  over  this  wooden  arrangement 
soon  served  as  pack,  and  ropes  strung  on  the 
sides  did  duty  as  stirrups.  In  this  way,  escorted 
by  my  boy  and  a  man  carrying  on  a  pole  neces- 
sary clothing  and  my  bedding,  without  which  one 
cannot  pass  the  night  in  China,  I  set  out.  We 
passed  over  low  mountains,  forded  a  river,  with 
its  wide  bed  of  cobblestones,  saw  the  mountains 
lift  their  lofty  heads  on  every  side,  hid  under  the 
trees  while  a  sudden  shower  poured  down  its 
torrents,  then  pushed  on  eagerly  to  avoid  the 
rain  which  now  threatened  to  envelop  us ;  and, 
sitting  astride  my  pack,  which  had  now  grown 
hard  and  wooden,  to  save  precious  time  eating 
my  lunch  of  crackers  and  Chinese  apples  as  we 
journeyed.  The  rocky  road  was  slippery  ;  twice 
my  donkey  fell.  Once  I  sprang  and  saved  my- 
self, but  later,  grown  stiff  by  travel,  we  both  fell 


230  CHINESE  HEROES 

in  a  heap,  whereupon  my  boy,  with  a  terrified 
exclamation,  jumped  to  the  rescue,  helping  me 
with  one  hand  and  raining  blows  on  the  unfor- 
tunate donkey  driver  with  the  other.  Receiv- 
ing an  all-too-gentle  reproof,  he  replied  shame- 
facedly: *  It  could  not  be  helped.  I  told  him  to 
lead  the  donkey.  He  did  not  mind  me  ;  did  he  }' 
"  At  different  times  I  asked  the  distance. 
*  Twenty  li  more  ; '  later,  '  Twenty-five  li ; '  long 
after,  *  Only  three  li ;'  then  again, '  O,  all  of  seven 
li.'  Whereupon  my  boy  interfered.  *  Don't  ask 
him  again  ;  he  only  tells  lies.'  But  it  may  have 
been  the  curves  in  the  road.  At  last  the  walls 
of  Shih  Men  Chai  arose  before  our  eyes,  and 
presently  passing  through  the  city  we  were  at  the 
door  of  our  chapel.  The  pastor  and  the  young 
student  who  assisted  him  for  the  summer  were 
both  away  at  a  wedding  feast,  for,  as  is  to  be  ex- 
pected in  China,  my  letter  had  not  reached  him, 
and  I  was  not  looked  for ;  but  his  wife  and  three 
young  children  were  not  lacking  in  hospitality, 
and  she  and  I  were  glad  for  a  few  minutes  to- 
gether after  a  separation  of  nearly  a  year  and  a 
half.  The  pastor  here  is  Liu  Kuang-ch'ing,  a 
young  man  only  twenty-three  years  of  age,  of 
the  class  of  1898.  I  will  not  attempt  to  describe 
him,  but  rather  let  his  work  speak  for  him.  The 
w^omen  of  the  neighborhood  at  once  filled  my 
room,  for  a  foreign  woman  is  a  rare  sight  in- 
deed;  but  several  Christian  women  came  in, 
too,  with  warm  greetings  and  the  word  that  for 


THE  EPWORTH  LEAGUE  231 

weeks  they  had  been  expecting  their  pastor's 
teacher.  Mrs.  Liu  had  sent  for  her  husband,  and 
in  less  than  an  hour  he  and  the  young  man  men- 
tioned came  in,  breathless  with  the  race,  and  with 
the  perspiration  pouring  from  their  faces.  It 
was  a  glad  reception  I  received  on  my  first  visit 
to  the  field  of  labor  of  a  very  dearly  loved  pupil. 
After  greetings  had  been  exchanged  a  beautiful 
expression  came  over  Mr.  Liu's  face  as  he  said, 
'  God  has  answered  my  prayer,  and  you  are 
here.' 

"  It  was  the  truest  welcome  I  ever  received. 
Many  a  man  would  have  taken  my  coming  as  a 
personal  visit  to  himself  and  family  ;  not  so  Mr. 
Liu.  His  one  thought  was  for  the  good  of  the 
work,  and  my  visit  was  to  be  made  a  means  to 
that  end ;  so  the  doors  were  thrown  open  and 
the  women  invited  in.  I  arrived  on  Saturday ; 
the  few  remaining  hours  till  the  evening  meal 
were  spent  in  seeing  the  church  members,  both 
men  and  women.  After  our  supper  (on  this  trip 
I  adapted  myself  to  Chinese  custom  and  ate 
two  meals  a  day)  Kuang-ch'ing  and  Tsai-hsin 
went  to  the  chapel  and,  with  the  chapel  keeper, 
began  to  sing.  Soon  the  swell  of  voices  showed 
an  increase  in  the  number,  until  within  half  an 
hour  a  full  chorus  told  the  story  of  a  full  house. 
In  a  few  minutes  the  young  men  returned,  and 
the  singing  still  continued.  As  they  came  in, 
both  with  bright,  eager  faces,  I  looked  up  and  said, 
'  Well  ?  '  and  Tsai-hsin   responded,  *  O,  Kuang- 


232  CHINESE  HEROES 

ch'ing  has  a  piece  of  business  in  his  heart.' 
'What  is  it?'  *  We  want  to  pray  together  for 
our  meeting  to-night.'  So  together  we  knelt, 
and  God's  Holy  Spirit  came  down  as  those 
earnest  young  voices  pleaded  for  God's  blessing 
on  the  people,  some  of  whom  understood  so 
little  of  what  the  new  life  meant.  As  my  own 
prayer  went  up  for  a  special  blessing  upon  this 
earnest  young  pastor  for  that  night  I  heard  his 
sobs,  and  as  we  stood  again  he  was  not  ashamed 
of  the  tears  which  he  wiped  away. 

"  Can  I  ever  forget  that  meeting  led  by  those 
two  young  men  fresh  from  their  knees  ?  The 
Spirit  was  there,  and  the  people  felt  it,  as  the 
reverent  attention  and  short,  earnest  prayers 
testified. 

"  Sunday  morning,  as  soon  as  breakfast  w^as 
over,  the  women  came  crowding  in,  till  not  only 
my  kang,  or  brick  bed,  was  full,  but  every  avail- 
able corner  w^as  crowded.  I  talked  for  a  while 
with  the  women,  they  sang  a  few  hymns,  and  it 
was  time  for  Sunday  school.  Mr.  Liu  has  a  cir- 
cuit of  three  stations,  with  a  membership  of  over 
five  hundred,  and  at  all  of  these  three  points  he 
has  recently  established  Sunday  schools — the 
only  Sunday  schools  in  the  district.  After  the 
Sunday  school  came  the  preaching  service,  and 
in  the  evening  the  usual  service  ;  but  in  between 
I  heard  many  words  of  quiet  exhortation  to  one 
and  another  of  the  members.  One  very  zealous 
old  man,  who  had  no  heirs,  had  made  over  his 


THE  EPWORTH  LEAGUE 

houses  and  land  to  the  church,  and  was  a  devout 
and  constant  attendant  upon  the  divine  service. 
Not  so  his  wife,  a  worldly-minded,  shrewd  old 
Christian,  whose  superior  ability  had  been  largely 
the  means  of  collecting  all  this  property.  She 
preferred  to  stay  by  the  stuff,  and  no  persuad- 
ing could  move  her  to  leave  her  home  to  be 
ravaged  by  servants  or  thieves  while  she  wor- 
shiped the  Lord  in  his  temple.  Mr.  Liu  thought 
my  visit  an  opportunity  to  get  her  out  of  the 
rut,  and  suggested  to  her  husband  that  he  bring 
her  to  spend  Monday  with  me.  The  temptation 
to  meet  a  foreign  woman,  to  inquire  of  all  the 
strange  doings  of  our  far-away  country,  and  to 
see  a  wardrobe  only  five  years  out  from  Amer- 
ica were  too  much  for  the  old  lady,  and  she 
came.  Mr.  Liu  and  his  wife  received  her  most 
kindly,  gave  her  tea,  and  let  her  rest  on  my  kang 
and  satisfy  her  curiosity;  and  then  our  young 
brother  came  in,  and  most  respectfully  and  gently 
led  up  to  her  soul's  welfare.  I  never  heard  any- 
thing more  tender  or  more  searching  than  his 
plea.  As  she  responded  his  eyes  would  be 
closed  in  prayer,  and  then  with  glowing,  wistful 
eyes  he  would  renew  the  charge.  I  was  moved 
to  tears,  and  felt  that  I  was  in  the  very  presence 
of  the  Master.  As  I  listened  I  was  at  last  led 
to  say  a  few  words,  and  as  I  took  her  hand  and 
began  the  young  evangelist  at  once  sat  down  by 
the  table  and  bowed  his  head  on  his  hand,  while 
Tsai-hsin,  in  the  corner,  prayed   silently.     The 


234  CHINESE  HEROES 

old  man  added  his  word  and  said,  '  You  go  to 
Tientsin  and  study  and  learn  to  understand  this 
teaching,  and  thus  you  can  help  me,  who  am  so 
stupid.' 

"  I  think  the  worldly  old  heart  caught  a 
glimpse  of  what  all  this  meant,  for  she  seemed 
touched  at  last,  and  said,  '  I  will  think  about  it, 
and  I  will  come  to  church ;  I  promise.' 

"Tuesday  we  started  for  Huang  Tu  Ying, 
Mr.  Liu's  second  charge,  and  the  place  of  the 
original  church  on  that  circuit.  The  journey  of 
seven  miles  was  most  picturesque,  and  was  ac- 
complished partly  on  foot  and  partly  on  donkeys. 

"  As  we  reached  the  village,  which  is  set  on  a 
hillside,  we  passed  up  the  pretty,  narrow,  stone- 
paved  streets,  with  their  trellises  of  squash  vines 
before  the  doors  telling  nothing  of  the  story  of 
poverty  and  wretchedness  within. 

"  When  we  reached  the  chapel  it  seemed  to 
me  that  the  whole  community  had  gathered,  but 
it  proved  to  be  only  the  church  members,  who 
were  expecting  us.  I  spent  two  days  at  this 
place,  seeing  and  hearing  more  and  more  of  Mr. 
Liu's  earnest,  self-forgetful  work  and  its  results. 
He  never  in  any  way  seemed  to  think  of 
himself 

"  It  was  here  that  one  of  our  students  lived,  a 
boy  who  expects  to  preach,  but  whose  wife  has 
no  education  to  speak  of — one  of  those  unfor- 
tunate early  marriages,  made  when  the  family 
was  still  heathen,  between  a  boy  of  eleven  and  a 


THE  EPWORTH  LEAGUE  235 

girl  of  thirteen.  Here  again  our  young  preacher 
had  exerted  his  influence,  and  the  wife  and 
mother  were  both  coming  to  Mrs.  Gamewell's 
training  school  for  a  three  years'  course.  It  was 
touching  to  see  this  old  woman,  with  her  shrewd 
old  face  working  with  emotion,  as  she  said :  '  O 
yes,  I  am  going,  and  my  daughter-in-law  is  going, 
and  I  am  so  glad  to  go.  I  did  not  think  of  it  at 
first,  but  our  pastor  talked  to  me,  and  now  I 
know  that  I  must  help  my  son's  wife  to  be  a 
helpmeet  in  his  life's  work  ;  and  as  to  myself,  I 
am  over  sixty  years  old,  and  I  want  to  do  a 
little  for  my  people  before  I  die.  I  don't  want 
to  go  to  the  Lord  empty-handed.'  And  so  this  old 
woman  is  leaving  her  little  home,  which  she,  by 
gathering  fagots,  selling  cloth,  working  in  the 
fields,  doing  anything  and  everything  by  day  and 
sitting  sometimes  all  night  at  her  loom,  has 
earned,  to  begin  to  study  books  in  which  she  is 
now  able  to  recognize  not  more  than  half  a  dozen 
characters.  I  call  it  true  heroism.  Many  a  man 
on  the  district  is  hampered  by  an  uneducated 
wife,  who  pulls  down  as  fast  as  he  builds  up,  and 
so  we  greatly  rejoice  at  this  decision,  cost  what 
it  may,  of  loving  sacrifice. 

"  I  returned,  after  ten  wonderful  days,  exalted 
in  spirit,  comforted  in  heart,  filled  with  great 
joy,  because  of  what  I  had  seen  of  the  Lord's 
great  power  to  use  consecrated,  educated  young 
men  in  China." 

Some   of   the    most    interesting    features    of 


236  CHINESE  HEROES 

Kuang-ch'ings  work  as  exhibiting  other  phases 
of  his  character  were  his  devotion  to  his  people 
and  his  constancy  in  prayer.  As  Miss  Terrell 
was  about  to  leave  he  inquired, 

"  Can  you  stand  a  bad  smell  ?  " 

"  I  think  so,"  she  answered,  feeling  that  such  a 
question  was  unnecessary  to  one  who  had  spent 
five  years  in  Peking.     "  Why  do  you  ask  }  " 

"  I  thought  I  would  show  you  my  curios,"  said 
he,  opening  a  door  and  exhibiting  a  cupboard 
full  of  old  pipes  and  wine-cups  he  had  induced 
his  members  to  give  up,  in  his  Temperance 
work. 

During  the  year  In  question  he  had  seventy- 
five  baptisms  and  one  hundred  and  twenty 
united  with  the  church  on  probation. 

During  the  Boxer  troubles  he  was  stationed 
on  the  Shih  Men  Chai  circuit,  on  which  are  two 
other  chapels,  Chu  Ts'ao  YIng  and  Huang  T'u 
Ying,  and,  while  the  district  suffered  less  than  in 
many  other  places,  there  was  no  little  plundering 
by  the  yamen  runners  as  well  as  by  the  common 
rural  robbers. 

During  the  first  ten  days  of  the  fifth  month, 
the  time  when  the  Tientsm-Peking  railroad  was 
being  torn  up,  there  were  Boxer  rumors  and  they 
began  to  practice  their  gymnastics,  but  though 
two  large  altars  had  been  established  in  Shan 
Hai  Kuan  there  was  none  at  Shih  Men  Chai.  The 
pastor  at  Chu  Ts'ao  YIng  supposed  that,  if  the 
Boxers  came  at  all,  they  would  start  from  Shan 


THE  EPWORTH  LEAGUE  237 

Hai  Kuan,  come  to  our  place  and  thence  to  his 
place;  but  on  the  24th  of  the  fifth  month  he 
was  attacked,  captured,  kicked,  beaten  and 
dragged  to  the  robbers'  home,  where  he  was 
forced  to  knock  his  head  to  their  idols  and  burn 
incense  to  their  ancestral  tablets,  they  threaten- 
ing to  behead  him  in  case  he  refused.  After 
this  they  returned  to  the  chapel,  smashed  the 
doors  and  windows  and  the  tablet  on  which  the 
name  of  the  chapel  was  inscribed,  and  set  the 
pastor  free. 

"  When  we  heard  of  this  uprising,"  said  Mr. 
Liu,  "  I  could  not  believe  it,  and  I  sent  a  mes- 
senger to  see  if  the  report  was  true.  It  was  not 
long  till  we  had  more  convincing  proof  than 
that  brought  by  our  messenger,  for  that  same 
evening  in  an  incredibly  short  time  several  hun- 
dred people  surrounded  our  chapel  and  broke  in 
pieces  the  tablet  on  which  *  Jesus  '  was  inscribed. 
Several  of  the  Peking  students  were  with  me  at 
the  time,  and  as  we  were  not  a  match  for  such 
a  crowd  we  fled  from  the  back  door  and  thus 
escaped  with  our  lives.  The  members  of  the 
Catholic  church  united  with  our  own,  and  as  they 
were  armed  they  fired  a  few  shots  into  the 
crowd,  which  soon  dispersed.  From  this  time 
the  Boxers,  yamen  runners  and  robbers  plun- 
dered the  Christians  at  will,  and  it  is  impossible 
for  either  tongue  or  pen  to  describe  what  the 
members  suffered  during  those  awful  days. 

"  A  dozen  or  more  of  the  Christians  stayed 


238  CHINESE  HEROES 

with  me  at  the  chapel  and  acted  as  a  guard,  but 
on  the  2nd  of  the  sixth  month  I  went  to  Shan  Hai 
Kuan  to  consult  with  Te  Jui,our  presiding  elder, 
as  to  what  was  best  to  be  done,  and  he  sug- 
gested that  the  chapels  be  turned  over  to  the 
official  for  protection.  Just  then  the  persecu- 
tions began  at  Shan  Hai  Kuan  and  it  became 
necessary  for  us  all  to  flee,  as  many  of  the  Chris- 
tians had  already  done.  On  the  evening  of  that 
same  day,  in  company  with  Chang  Chan-ao  (Peter 
Durst,  Jr.),  I  fled  to  a  place  in  the  mountains  called 
Shan  C'ha,  distant  fourteen  miles  from  the  church 
I  served. 

"  As  I  had  sent  my  family  away  on  the  23rd 
of  the  fifth  month  they  escaped  the  outbreak  of 
the  24th,  for  which  I  was  very  thankful.  Ten 
days  later  soldiers  came  from  Shan  Hai  Kuan  and 
captured  some  twenty  of  the  Christians,  whom 
they  bound  and  took  to  an  inn  and  poured  boil- 
ing water  on  their  heads,  saying:  "This  is  the 
w^ay  we  will  baptize  you,"  after  which  they  beat 
them  with  clubs,  their  object  being  extortion 
rather  than  murder,  and  from  this  time  on  there 
was  constant  persecution. 

"  The  following  day  ten  soldiers  came  to  our 
hiding-place  in  the  mountains  to  capture  and 
take  us  to  Shan  Hai  Kuan,  to  deliver  us  to  the 
Boxers  ;  but  the  people  interfered  in  our  behalf, 
and  by  giving  $16  we  were  allowed  to  go  free. 
Hoodlums  all  over  the  country  were  engaged  in 
persecution  for  the  sake  of  pelf  and  the  Chris- 


THE  EPWORTH  LEAGUE  ^39 

tians  fled  in  every  direction,  dwelling  among  the 
rocks  and  caves  of  the  mountains  exactly  as  was 
predicted  In  the  Scriptures. 

"  Ten  days  later  Boxers  came  a  second  time 
from  Shan  Hal  Kuan  and  with  the  local  mem- 
bers of  their  society  razed  our  chaped  to  the 
ground.  The  following  day  they  went  to  Chu 
Tsao  YIng,  captured  and  killed  one,  Chiang 
Ch'un,  and  hung  his  head  on  the  chapel  door 
for  ten  days,  after  which  they  went  to  the  homes 
of  the  Christians  and  robbed  them  of  all  they 
possessed.  This  was  likewise  done  at  Huang 
T  u  YIng,  the  third  place  on  the  district,  being 
the  worst  persecution  our  Christians  endured. 

"  There  was  a  Boxer  headquarters  at  I  Yuan 
K  ou  led  by  one  Liu  PIng-ch'ang,  who  Instigated 
the  people  to  persecute  and  kill  all  the  Chris- 
tians they  could  find  both  Inside  and  outside  the 
Great  Wall.  When  the  official  at  Shan  Hal  Kuan 
heard  that  the  Chinese  had  been  defeated  at 
Tientsin  by  the  foreigners  he  sent  a  company  of 
cavalry  to  tear  down  the  house  of  this  Boxer 
leader,  taking  prisoner  all  those  he  taught. 

"Thereafter  It  gradually  became  quiet  and  the 
Christians  returned  to  their  desolated  homes. 
As  soon  as  it  seemed  safe  to  do  so  I  moved  my 
family  to  Lan  Chou  where  I  lived  with  the  Pre- 
siding Elder  of  that  district.  In  the  chapel,  until 
all  danger  was  past.  It  was  as  if  I  had  awak- 
ened from  a  dream." 


240  CHINESE  HEROES 


THE  CH'EN  BROTHERS 

In  the  story  of  Ch'en  Ta-yung  we  have  inci- 
dentally referred  to  his  sons,  the  third  and 
fourth  of  whom  have  graduated  from  the  Peking 
University. 

A  few  years  ago  a  Christian  gentleman  and 
his  wife,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chain, 
while  taking  a  trip  around 
the  world  came  from  Tient- 
sin to  Peking  in  company 
with  Mr.  Ch'ens  third  son, 
Ch'en  Wei-p'ing,  who  acted 
as  interpreter  for  them  "  up 
the  river."  They  were  so 
impressed  with  his  honesty 
cH-en  wei-p-ing       ^^^    j^jg    fraukness,    in    not 

telling  them  "  the  things  he  did  not  know,"  that 
before  leaving  the  city  they  made  a  trip  of  four 
miles  through  the  dust  of  Peking  to  bid  him 
good-bye  ;  in  other  words,  they  took  an  inter- 
est in  him. 

It  was  this  incident  that  made  Wei-p'ing.  Up 
to  this  time  he  had  always  seemed  to  feel  that 
because  he  was  undersized,  and  without  a  partic- 
ularly pleasing  personality,  he  could  amount  to 
nothing.  But  now  some  persons  had  shown 
that  they  cared  for  him,  and  his  spine  stiffened 


THE  CH'EN  BROTHERS  241 

and  he  went  about  with  his  face  turned  toward 
heaven  rather  than  toward  earth.  He  seemed 
to  have  grown  a  few  inches,  and  all  Nature 
seemed  to  him  to  smile  where  formerly  she  had 
frowned ;  he  had  discovered  himself. 

When  he  graduated,  in  addition  to  other  temp- 
tations to  go  into  business,  there  was  offered 
him  a  position  in  Shanghai  which  would  bring 
him  forty  dollars  per  month.  This  he  at  once 
refused,  accepting  a  pastorate  outside  the  Great 
Wall  with  a  salary  of  two 
dollars  and  seventy-five 
cents  per  month  ;  the  place 
where  his  parents  and  his 
brother  and  sister  were 
afterwards  put  to  death. 
The  nobility  of  his  con-  / 
duct  at  that  time  has  al- 
ready been  referred  to. 

We       ought       to        mention  CK-en  Wel-cH-eng 

that  this  may  have  been  the  last  good  work  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chain,  as  they  were  on  the  fated 
"Bokhara"  and  were  lost  before  leaving  Chinese 
waters. 

The  fourth  son  of  Mr.  Ch'en  was  Ch  en  Wel- 
ch eng,  who  graduated  the  next  year  after  his 
brother.  He  at  once  passed  the  examinations 
for  entrance  to  the  Chinese  Imperial  Customs 
Service,  where  his  salary  would  be  twenty-five 
ounces  of  silver  a  month.  He  had  hardly  re- 
ceived the  intelligence  that  he  was  accepted  by 
16 


242  CHINESE  HEROES 

the  Customs  Service  when  he  voluntarily  gave 
up  that  position  and  accepted  a  position  as 
teacher  of  English,  in  his  alma  7nater  on  a  salary 
of  five  ounces  of  silver  a  month,  with  no  hope 
of  ever  getting  more  than  ten. 

He  had  just  begun  his  work  when  the  secre- 
tary of  Li  Hung-chang  asked  him  to  teach  the 
grandsons  of  the  latter  two  hours  a  day,  offering 
him  thirty-five  ounces  of  silver  a  month  if  he 
would  do  so.  This  he  consented  to  do  on  con- 
dition that  it  did  not  interfere  with  his  other 
work  in  the  university  and  that  he  be  not  re- 
quired to  teach  on  the  Sabbath  ;  and  when  he 
received  his  thirty-five  ounces  of  silver  he  put  it 
into  the  treasury  of  the  university  for  the  educa- 
tion of  another  boy. 

During  and  after  the  siege  both  of  these 
young  men  acted  as  interpreters  on  salaries  of 
from  fifty  to  one  hundred  dollars  per  month, 
which  they  voluntarily  relinquished  as  soon  as 
it  was  possible  for  them  to  resume  their  work  in 
church  or  school;  and  Wei-ch'eng  has  in  1902 
visited  Sweden,  sent  by  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  to  attend  their  conference,  after 
which  he  passed  through  the  United  States  on 
his  return  to  his  work  here. 


PASTORS  AND  TEACHERS 


243 


PASTORS  AND  TEACHERS 


LIU  MA-K'E 

Liu  Ma-k'e,  or  Mark,  as  we  have  always  called 
him,  married  upon  graduation  a  sister  of  Wang 
Ch  eng-p'ei,  who  as  long  as  she  lived  acted  as  a 
ballast  to  his  uncertain  barque.  His  first  temp- 
tation was  to  go  into  business  where  the  remu- 
neration was  ten  times  what  we  could  offer  him 
in  the  church,  but  after 
days  of  half-yielding  uncer- 
tainty and  a  night  of 
prayer  with  Sarah,  his  wife, 
he  came  off  victor  and  an- 
nounced himself  as  ready 
to  preach  the  Gospel.  This 
may  seem  a  small  matter 
to  the  reader  unless  he 
asks  himself,  "If  I  had 
five  thousand  dollars  a 
year  within  my  reach  would  I  be  willing  to 
preach  the  Gospel  for  five  hundred  dollars  ?  " 

That  was  the  question  which  came  to  Mark, 
and  his  answer  was,  "  I  will." 

Mark  had  ability  and  he  knew  it ;  and  after 
preaching  for  three  years  he  voluntarily  gave 
up  his  small  salary,  preached  for  nothing,  taught 
English  in  official  families  for  a  living,  and  dur- 
ing his  first  year  gave  ten  ounces  of  silver  to- 


Liu    Ma-K' 


244  CHINESE  HEROES 

ward  the  building  of  a  street  chapel,  ten  ounces 
more  toward  the  building  of  a  dispensary  in  con- 
nection with  the  church  of  which  he  was  pastor, 
and  collected  almost  enough  from  his  official 
non-Christian  friends  to  complete  the  building 
of  the  dispensary. 

He  had  served  this  appointment  five  years 
and  was  at  the  pinnacle  of  his  popularity  when 
he  had  to  be  removed,  according  to  the  time 
limit,  from  the  place  where  he  could  preach  for 
nothing  and  at  the  same  time   influence  official 

families  in  which  he  taught. 
This  promised  to  be  the 
last  straw,  but  the  camel's 
back  did  not  break,  and 
Mark  submitted  to  being 
removed  and  being  placed 
in  the  most  difficult  charge 
of  our  North  China  work, 
the  west  of  Tientsin,  and 
he  was  there  when  the 
Boxer  outbreak  occurred, 
ready  to  make  himself  useful  as  a  leader  of  the 
Chinese  in  the  siege  of  Tientsin  and,  later,  in 
the  settlement  of  the  difficulties;  for  none  of 
our  young  men  handles  a  Chinese  official  with 
more  ease  than  Mark. 

LIU  MING-CH'UAN 

When  Liu  Ming-chuan  graduated  from  the 
Peking  University  he  was  allowed  to  paste  the 


PASTORS  AND  TEACHERS  245 

names  of  the  students  upon  the  bulletin  board  out- 
side the  front  gate — a  privilege  which  is  granted 
only  to  those  who  are  leaders  in  their  class. 

He  at  once  went  to  the  United  States,  entered 
De  Pauw  University,  where  he  graduated  from 
the  Theological  School,  and  was  offered  one 
thousand  dollars  a  year  if  he  would  remain  in 
America  as  an  interpreter  and  assistant  transla- 
tor. This  he  refused,  and  returning  to  China  he 
began  preaching  on  a  salary  of  eighty-four  dol- 
lars a  year,  out  of  which  he  gave  enough  to 
support  a  student  as  he  had  been  supported. 

T'lEN  SHU-NIEN 

T'ien  Shu-nien  was  the  best  English  speaker 
of  his  class.  One  of  the  Censors  and  an  official 
who  afterwards  took  an  active  part  in  protecting 
foreigners  from  the  Boxers,  being  interested  in 
him,  lent  him  enough  money,  without  security, 
to  put  him  through  the  Arts  course  of  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University,  after  which  he  returned 
and  took  a  position  as  teacher  of  English  in  his 
alma  matei^. 

When  the  Boxer  movement  began  he,  Liu 
Minp^-ch'uan  and  others  were  made  the  leaders 
of  gangs  of  workmen  in  the  British  Legation  for- 
tifications, and  did  excellent  service.  After  they 
were  relieved  he  acted  as  an  interpreter  in  the 
American  Forces  for  a  living,  and,  though  deeply 
in  debt,  has  given  two  years  of  excellent  service, 
free  of  charge,  as  teacher  in  Peking  University. 


246  CHINESE  HEROES 

CH'EN  HENG-TE 

The  following  testimony  to  the  services  of  a 
native  preacher  from  high  officials  stands  unique, 
perhaps,  among  the  annals  of  China.  It  was 
sent,  as  the  petition  indicates,  by  the  official  of 
Lao-t'ing  to  His  Excellency  Li  Hung-chang. 
The  latter  turned  it  over  to  the  American  Le- 
gation, requesting  that  it  be  sent  to  Bishop 
Moore,  and  that,  if  possible,  he  accede  to  the 
wishes  of  the  District  Magistrate  and  the  peo- 
ple of  Lao-t'ing.  The  following  is  a  transla- 
tion of  the  document  as  it  came  to  the  mission: 

Petition  of  Wan  Ho-yin,  District  Magistrate  of  Lao-t'ing,  in 
the  matter  of  the  American  Methodist  Episcopal  Misr 
sionary,  Ch'en  Heng-te. 

Wan  Ho-yin,  District  Magistrate  of  Lao-t'ing, 
respectfully  presents  this  petition  to  H.  E.  Li, 
Grand  Tutor  of  the  Heir  Apparent,  Grand  Sec- 
retary, Earl,  etc.,  etc. 

Your  petitioner  humbly  represents  that  cer- 
tain of  the  gentry  and  people  of  his  un- 
worthy district,  among  them  the  Senior  Secre- 
tary of  the  Board  of  Revenue,  Ts'ui  Ping-wen, 
and  the  Secretary  of  the  Grand  Secretariat, 
Liu  Chu,  and  others,  joined  in  a  petition, 
saying  that  the  American  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Mission  had  been  established  many  years 
in  Lao-t'ing  and  that  the  Missionary,  Ch'en 
Heng-te,  for  some  time  previous  had  propagated 
the  religion,  making  it  his  special  work  to  ex- 
hort men  to  do  right,  that  in  all  his  intercourse 
with  the  people  there  w^as  nothing  that  was  not 


PASTORS  AND  TEACHERS  247 

In  accordance  with  friendly  relations,  that  on  any 
occasion  when  the  Church  and  people  were  at 
cross  purposes  the  matter  was  always  settled 
justly,  that  on  this  account  all  were  pleased  to 
serve  him,  that  the  number  of  those  turning  to 
righteousness  was  daily  increasing  and  that  the 
Christians  and  people  were  having  no  trouble 
in  their  relations  with  each  other ;  that  not  only 
those  who  entered  the  Church  were  greatly  in- 
debted to  his  practical  virtue,  but  among  the 
stupid  villagers  there  was  not  one  who  did  not 
put  hand  to  forehead  in  respect  for  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Chen's  virtues;  that  they  had  now  heard  that 
Rev.  Mr.  Chen  had  been  promoted  to  a  post  in 
Shan-tung,  and  that,  while  they  ought  to  rejoice 
that  he  was  held  in  such  esteem  as  to  be  thus 
selected  for  employment,  the  people  of  the  town 
nevertheless,  yielding  to  their  private  feeling  of 
affection,  were  loth  to  hear  of  his  leaving  them, 
and  that  they  therefore  petitioned  me  on  their 
behalf  to  address  Your  Excellency,  stating  the 
circumstances  and  begging  that  he  might  be  re- 
tained, which  would  secure  good  feeling  between 
the  people  and  the  Christians  of  Lao-t'ing,  and 
be  of  great  benefit  to  the  place ;  that  the  people 
of  the  city  as  one  man  really  desire  this,  etc. 

On  receiving  the  above,  your  petitioner  made 
inquiries  and  learned  that  the  said  missionary, 
Ch'en  Heng-te,had  for  many  years  preached  his 
religion  in  Lao-t'ing,  and  was  thoroughly  con- 
versant with  the  circumstances  of  the  place,  that 
whenever  there  had  been  any  trouble  between 
the  Church  and  people  there  never  had  been 
any  other  than  a  just  settlement,  that  all  had  con- 
sidered that  each  should  attend  to  his  own  busi- 
ness and  all  dwell  together  in  harmony,  and  that 


248  CHINESE  HERoEb 

therefore  there  were  none  in  this  unworthy  dis- 
trict who  did  not  trust  and  respect  him.  We 
have  recently  heard  that  in  other  places  the 
Christians  have  relied  upon  their  connection 
with  the  Church  to  practice  extortion,  but  the 
Christians  of  this  District  have  done  nothing  of 
this  sort.  It  cannot  be  but  that  it  is  due  to  the 
said  missionary's  great  merit  in  exerting  himself 
to  admonish  and  lead.  Now,  according  to  the 
statements  of  the  said  gentry  and  others,  since 
the  aforesaid  missionary  has  been  promoted  to 
a  post  in  Shan-tung,  they  have  united  in  a  peti- 
tion urging  his  retention. 

To  determine  whether  this  is  possible  or  not 
your  petitioner  begs  Your  Excellency  to  write 
and  consult  with  the  Bishop  of  the  American 
Church,  requesting  him  to  order  the  missionary 
to  postpone  his  going  to  Shan-tung  and  remain 
for  the  present  in  Lao-t'ing,  which  will  be  for  the 
real  benefit  of  the  people  and  the  Church. 

Duty  requires  your  petitioner  to  submit  this 
request,  with  a  statement  of  the  circumstances,  to 
Your  Excellency,  and  to  beg  that  Your  Excel- 
lency will  give  the  matter  consideration  and 
issue  instructions,  that  he  may  respectfully  obey 
the  same.  This  will  certainly  be  just  and  ex- 
pedient. 

In  presenting  this  respectful  petition,  peti- 
tioner desires  to  express  his  good  wishes  for 
Your  Excellency's  prosperity  and  begs  that 
Your  Excellency  will  cast  a  favorable  glance 
upon  this  humble  petition  of  the  unworthy 
Magistrate,  Ho-yin.     (That  is,  of  himself.) 

THE    END 


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University  of  California 
Richmond,  CA  94804-4698 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 

•  2-month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling 
(510)642-6753 

•  1-year  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing 
books  to  NRLF 

•  Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4 
days  prior  to  due  date. 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


FEB  2  0  2001 


12.000(11/95) 


»  U    H^li 


H4 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  UBRARY 


